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Background Distress in husbands of women with early-stage breast cancer may be equivalent to or even higher than their wives. Husbands often struggle to help and support their wives cope with the illness and its treatment. In response, we developed a five-session group educational counselling intervention (Helping Her Heal-Group (HHH-G)) for husbands of women with early-stage breast cancer. The primary aim of the current pilot study was to determine the acceptability and feasibility of HHH-G and to obtain a preliminary estimate of its impact on participating men's skills, self-confidence and self care. Secondary aims were to assess the impact of the intervention on both the participating spouses' and wives' ratings of marital quality and depressed mood. Methods The study employed a one-arm, pre-post-intervention design whereby participating men ( n = 54) and their wives ( n = 54) independently completed measures at baseline (T0), immediately following the last session (T1) and 3 months after the last session (T2). Results Overall, there was very high study retention (87%). On the basis of the questionnaire data, we found significant improvements in spouses' self-efficacy ( p < 0.001) and self-reported skills including wife support ( p = 0.003) and self-care ( p < 0.001). In addition, there was a significant improvement in wives' mood scores ( p = 0.003). Post-intervention interviews support acceptability and impact of the HHH-G intervention, and provide support for the group format of the program. Conclusions The feasibility and acceptability of HHH-G was supported, and treatment outcomes suggest the potential benefits of the intervention. Phase III evaluation of HHH-G program is warranted. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Patients with breast cancer experience unmet informational and psychosocial needs at the end of treatment. A brief psychoeducational intervention delivered at this transition may help to address some of the challenges these women face. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a single-session group psychoeducational intervention (GBOT group) compared with standard print material (usual care). Methods In this randomized controlled trial, 442 patients with breast cancer who were completing their adjuvant radiotherapy were recruited and randomized to receive either usual care, which includes standard print material (CRL group n = 226) or usual care and the GBOT group intervention (INT group n = 216). Participants completed measures at baseline and again at 3 and 6 months post-intervention. Results The INT group showed significant improvement in their knowledge regarding the re-entry transition period ( d = 0.31) and in their feelings of preparedness for re-entry ( d = 0.37). There were no differences between the groups over time on health-related distress or mood. Conclusions Results support the effectiveness of providing a single-session group psychoeducational intervention as a first-step approach to supportive care for women at the end of breast cancer treatment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present analyses were conducted to examine demographic and clinical variables associated with mood and health-related distress in a sample of 440 women completing primary treatment for early-stage breast cancer. The authors' aim was to test the hypothesis that higher levels of self-efficacy and perceived preparedness for the end of treatment—the reentry phase—are associated with better mood and lower health-related distress in this sample. Women who had received chemotherapy and who were younger (<50 years) had significantly higher mood disturbance and health-related distress scores. Younger age, preparedness, and self-efficacy predicted 36% of the variance in mood disturbance scores. Self-efficacy and age predicted 26% of the variance in health-related distress. Although further research is needed, our findings suggest that self-efficacy and perceived preparedness represent important constructs to target in the development of interventions for women at the reentry transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose This study describes the process and outcomes of breast radiotherapy (RT) quality assurance (QA) rounds, seeking to identify variables associated with plan modifications. Materials and methods Real-time data were prospectively collected over 2 years. Descriptive statistics determined the proportion of cases requiring no (A), minor (B), or major (C) modifications, which were then subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses. Results A total of 2223 breast cancer QA cases were reviewed; 47 cases (2.1%) underwent a minor, and 52 cases (2.3%) required a major modification. Common changes included boost, volume, seroma, and bolus. On univariate analysis, regional nodal irradiation (RNI), tumour size, and axillary node dissection were significantly associated with major modifications. Upon multivariate analysis, the only independent predictor was RNI (OR 2.12, p = 0.0075). For patients with no RNI, <2 cm tumours, no axillary lymph node dissection, and no boosts ( n = 420); the likelihood of category C was only 1.4%. Conclusions It is feasible to conduct QA review for all breast cancer cases prior to commencing RT. Patients undergoing RNI had a higher likelihood of plan modifications; a group with low risk of modification was identified, which could direct future re-structuring of QA rounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]