1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This cohort study compares distress experienced by lung cancer patients and their FC [family caregivers] during the first year of their cancer journey.» (p. 16)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The authors hypothesize that «more FC would report significant distress than patients (confirming the prior studies); […] the proportions of patients and FC with significant distress would decrease overtime as an effect of better coping with the situation, and […] the difference in proportions of distressed patients and FC would remain throughout the study.» (p. 16)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«This cohort study was conducted between June 2010 and December 2014 in a pulmonary oncology outpatient clinic at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), in Quebec City, Canada. Patients newly diagnosed with an inoperable lung cancer (representing 85% of all cases) and with an estimated life expectancy of at least 6 months were invited to participate to this study by nurses in the oncology clinic. Patients identified their principal FC and they were also recruited to participate to the study.» (p. 16) «From the 259 eligible patients, 206 were recruited [...] and from that group, 131 of their FC agreed to participate [...].» (p. 16)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«This cohort study provides valuable information on the psychological status of patients with lung cancer and their FC during the first year after their diagnosis. [R]esults confirm those of cross-sectional studies, showing that more FC experience distress than their relative with cancer […], but they go beyond that, as they inform not only on the respective prevalence of psychological symptoms among patients and FC, but also on how these symptoms evolve over time.» (p. 17-18) «Interestingly, proportions of patients and FC with significant distress and depression stayed relatively stable throughout this 1-year study, and the differences found between these two groups remained the same. Findings are almost equivalent when comparing patients’ and FCs’ scores of distress and depression. However, looking at the evolution of anxiety scores in both groups over time, there was a significant reduction between baseline and 6 months as well as between 6 and 12 months. Proportions of patients and FC with significant anxiety tended to decrease over time, but it was not statistically significant.» (p. 18)