The incidence of cancer is increasing among the elderly and little is known about continuing cancer care. Cancer has shifted from an acute disease with prompt resolution, usually death, to a chronic disease where long-term treatment increases survival time. Among the elderly, a portion of that survival may be spent with limitations in functioning. This research proposes to describe how a new cancer diagnosis, initial and continuing treatment, initiates or adds to limitations in self care, mobility, continence, cognition symptoms, and mental health of elderly patients and how these variables affect the involvement, reactions and mental health of family caregivers. This research examines the impact of the clinical course of cancer and its treatment upon elderly patients' needs for assistance, the involvement of their families, and the formal and informal costs of providing this care. This trajectory begins with a retrospective assessment of patient functioning 30 days prior to hospitalization, obtains staging data, initial treatment, and continues with observations of patients and their caregivers at 6, 12, 24, and 52 weeks. Twelve hundred and thirty-five patients will be accrued in order to assure that approximately 800 cases (200 cases of prostate, breast, colo-rectal, and lung cancer) will be retained at the end observation. This study builds upon our current work and extends knowledge by: l) examining how age, comorbidity, cancer site, stage of disease, and function, measured prior to the cancer diagnosis, relates to the aggressiveness of treatment and to subsequent limitations in self care, mobility, continence and cognition; 2) relating age, comorbidity, cancer site, treatment and functioning to the involvement of families in caring, their reactions, and mental health; 3) how incident cases of four cancer sites and their treatment are related to the formal system costs and informal costs born by families caring for these persons. The research proposed in this application is an essential """"""""next step"""""""" in order to target the cluster of patient characteristics, cancer site and treatment variables, and management strategies for the design of cost effective interventions that will improve the functional outcomes for elderly cancer patients cared for by their families at home.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA079280-10
Application #
6376915
Study Section
Nursing Research Study Section (NURS)
Program Officer
O'Mara, Ann M
Project Start
1998-06-17
Project End
2003-03-31
Budget Start
2001-04-01
Budget End
2003-03-31
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$444,395
Indirect Cost
Name
Michigan State University
Department
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
193247145
City
East Lansing
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48824
Jeon, Sangchoon; Sikorskii, Alla; Given, Barbara A et al. (2018) Latent Transition Analysis of the Symptom Experience of Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy. Nurs Res :
Sikorskii, Alla; Given, Charles W; Siddiqi, Azfar-E-Alam et al. (2015) Testing the differential effects of symptom management interventions in cancer. Psychooncology 24:25-32
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Soltow, Denise; Given, Barbara A; Given, Charles W (2010) Relationship between age and symptoms of pain and fatigue in adults undergoing treatment for cancer. Cancer Nurs 33:296-303
Sikorskii, Alla; Given, Charles W; Given, Barbara et al. (2009) Differential symptom reporting by mode of administration of the assessment: automated voice response system versus a live telephone interview. Med Care 47:866-74
Jeon, Sangchoon; Given, Charles W; Sikorskii, Alla et al. (2009) The utility of screening in the design of trials for symptom management in cancer. J Pain Symptom Manage 38:606-14

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