International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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Dear Colleagues,

According to World Health Organization, cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, killing approximately 10 million of people in 2020. The top three most common sites of cancer in 2020 were the lung, colon and rectum and liver. Cancer and its treatment undoubtedly lead to a significant symptom burden for patients, and bring tremendous distress to their family members throughout the cancer journey, from the time of diagnosis to long-term survivorship. Symptom control and management is therefore an important topic in the field of oncology.

This Special Issue invites high-quality papers which have adopted various design formats, including qualitative approaches, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, with an aim to identify a symptom profile and its associating factors plus appropriate screening tools for potential side effects, and to investigate the effectiveness and efficacy of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to alleviate and control symptoms in both adult and pediatric oncology patients.

Dr. Ka Yan Ho
Guest Editor

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Keywords

symptom control
symptom management
pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention
complementary and alternative medicine
quality of life
cancer
cancer survivors
translational care
physical and psychosocial well-being

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Ozone Treatment on Health-Related Quality of Life and Toxicity Induced by Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy in Symptomatic Cancer Survivors

by Bernardino Clavo, Angeles Cánovas-Molina, Yolanda Ramallo-Fariña, Mario Federico, Delvys Rodríguez-Abreu, Saray Galván, Ivone Ribeiro, Susana C. Marques da Silva, Minerva Navarro, Damián González-Beltrán, Juan A. Díaz-Garrido, Sara Cazorla-Rivero, Francisco Rodríguez-Esparragón and Pedro Serrano-Aguilar

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1479; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021479 - 13 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3300

Abstract

(1) Background: The continuous improvement in cancer treatment has led to improvement in patients’ survival and a subsequent increase in the number of cancer survivors living with adverse side effects of cancer treatments, sometimes with a high and adverse impact on their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Side effects of cancer treatments are frequently associated with chronic status of oxidative stress, inflammation, and/or ischemia. The potential for ozone treatment to modulate those processes and improve some of those adverse effects has previously been described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ozone treatment on the HRQOL and grade of toxicity in symptomatic cancer survivors. (2) Methods: Before and after ozone treatment, we assessed (i) the HRQOL (according to the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire) and (ii) the grade of toxicity (according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events of the National Cancer Institute of EEUU (CTCAE v.5.0)) in 26 cancer survivors with chronic side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. (3) Results: There was a significant (p < 0.001) improvement in the EQ-5D-5L index as per the self-reported outcome evaluation of patients’ health status. All the dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire (mobility, self-care, activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression) and the self-evaluation of the health status using the visual analog scale were significantly improved (p < 0.05). The grade of toxicity was also significantly decreased (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: In cancer survivors with chronic side effects of cancer treatment, ozone treatment can improve the grade of toxicity and the HRQOL. These results merit additional research. Further studies are ongoing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Symptom Management for Cancer and Cancer Survivors)

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Graphical abstract

11 pages, 462 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Symptom Burden of Children with Cancer and Parental Quality of Life: The Mediating Role of Parental Stress

by Winsome Lam, Su-Fang Li, Yan-Zhi Yi, Ka Yan Ho, Katherine K. W. Lam, Doris Y. P. Leung, Kitty Y. Y. Chan, Jacqueline M. C. Ho, Stephen C. W. Chan, Hai-Xia Wang, Li Zhou, Yan Yin and Frances K. Y. Wong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 9840; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169840 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1440

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between children’s reported symptom burden and their parents’ quality of life, and whether parents’ perceived stress mediates this relationship. Method: this was a cross-sectional quantitative research study. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 80 pairs of parents and their children with cancer. Advanced statistical methods were used to analyse the mediating effects of parental stress between children’s symptom burden and parents’ quality of life. Results: The results showed that parental stress was the mediator in the relationship between children’s reported symptom burden and their parents’ quality of life. Conclusions: Symptom burden was prevalent in Chinese children with cancer living in the community. Children’s symptom burden is an important factor in predicting parental stress level, which simultaneously and directly lower parents’ quality of life. The evidence in this study enlarges the knowledge base about the mediating effect of parental stress on the association between the symptom burden of children with cancer and their parents’ quality of life. This evidence is crucial in paving the way for the development of interventions that improve the parental quality of life through stress-reduction programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Symptom Management for Cancer and Cancer Survivors)

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