Ellen Krueger, Catherine E Mosher, Ashley Lewson, Susan E Hickman, Wei Wu, Holly G Prigerson
{"title":"Cancer Prognostic Awareness: Relations to Patient and Caregiver Quality of Life and Care Preferences.","authors":"Ellen Krueger, Catherine E Mosher, Ashley Lewson, Susan E Hickman, Wei Wu, Holly G Prigerson","doi":"10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.06.002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Patients who are prognostically aware are more likely to receive end-of-life care consistent with their values. However, prognostic awareness has shown mixed associations with patients' quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes. Theory suggests that acceptance of cancer may moderate relationships between prognostic awareness and outcomes of QoL and end-of-life treatment preferences. Patients' degree of prognostic awareness and illness acceptance may also impact their family caregivers' QoL and end-of-life treatment preferences for the patient.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To examine the potential moderating role of patient acceptance of cancer in the relationships between patient prognostic awareness and both patient and caregiver QoL and end-of-life treatment preferences.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional, secondary analysis was conducted using data from patients with advanced cancer (n = 243) and their caregivers (n = 87) in the multi-institutional Coping with Cancer-II cohort study. Patient physical, psychological, and existential QoL were examined in a moderation path analysis. Caregiver physical and psychological QoL were examined in separate linear regression analyses. Patient and caregiver end-of-life treatment preferences were examined in multiple logistic regression moderation models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No significant moderations were found. Greater patient illness acceptance was associated with better patient QoL outcomes and caregiver psychological QoL but was unrelated to end-of-life treatment preferences. Greater patient prognostic awareness was associated with worse patient physical QoL and both patients' and caregivers' preference for comfort care.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Increasing patients' prognostic awareness and cancer acceptance may improve values-consistent end-of-life care and patient and caregiver QoL outcomes. Findings support timely conversations to promote prognostic awareness and further testing of acceptance-based interventions in advanced cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":16634,"journal":{"name":"Journal of pain and symptom management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of pain and symptom management","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.06.002","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Context: Patients who are prognostically aware are more likely to receive end-of-life care consistent with their values. However, prognostic awareness has shown mixed associations with patients' quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes. Theory suggests that acceptance of cancer may moderate relationships between prognostic awareness and outcomes of QoL and end-of-life treatment preferences. Patients' degree of prognostic awareness and illness acceptance may also impact their family caregivers' QoL and end-of-life treatment preferences for the patient.
Objectives: To examine the potential moderating role of patient acceptance of cancer in the relationships between patient prognostic awareness and both patient and caregiver QoL and end-of-life treatment preferences.
Methods: A cross-sectional, secondary analysis was conducted using data from patients with advanced cancer (n = 243) and their caregivers (n = 87) in the multi-institutional Coping with Cancer-II cohort study. Patient physical, psychological, and existential QoL were examined in a moderation path analysis. Caregiver physical and psychological QoL were examined in separate linear regression analyses. Patient and caregiver end-of-life treatment preferences were examined in multiple logistic regression moderation models.
Results: No significant moderations were found. Greater patient illness acceptance was associated with better patient QoL outcomes and caregiver psychological QoL but was unrelated to end-of-life treatment preferences. Greater patient prognostic awareness was associated with worse patient physical QoL and both patients' and caregivers' preference for comfort care.
Conclusion: Increasing patients' prognostic awareness and cancer acceptance may improve values-consistent end-of-life care and patient and caregiver QoL outcomes. Findings support timely conversations to promote prognostic awareness and further testing of acceptance-based interventions in advanced cancer.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management is an internationally respected, peer-reviewed journal and serves an interdisciplinary audience of professionals by providing a forum for the publication of the latest clinical research and best practices related to the relief of illness burden among patients afflicted with serious or life-threatening illness.