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C. Massey



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    MO27 - Patient Centred Care (ID 141)

    • Event: WCLC 2013
    • Type: Mini Oral Abstract Session
    • Track: Nurses
    • Presentations: 1
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      MO27.02 - Patient Centered Outcomes in the Management of Malignant Pleural Effusion (ID 1408)

      10:30 - 12:00  |  Author(s): C. Massey

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background
      Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is common in individuals with advanced cancers and has an adverse impact on respiratory function and quality of life (QOL). Research evaluating treatment methods for MPE have focused on medical endpoints such as chest x-ray and there are no studies that have evaluated patient centered outcomes. Taking into consideration the short life expectancy in this patient population at the time of diagnosis, this study aims to determine the effect of any of the currently accepted treatment methods on QOL and hospital length of stay (LOS).

      Methods
      A prospective study of patients with a radiologically confirmed pleural effusion and an underlying malignancy evaluated patient centered outcomes using the London Chest Activity of Daily Living Scale (LCADL), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy –Palliative (FACIT-PAL) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Treatment Satisfaction (FACIT-TS-G). Cytological confirmation of MPE was obtained in the majority of patients. Treatment of MPE was determined by the attending physician. The study was approved by the institutional REB. Patients who were unable to read or speak English were excluded from the study. After providing informed consent, patients completed the questionnaires (LCADL, FACIT-PAL and FACIT-TS-G) prior to treatment, immediately post treatment and 2 and 6 weeks post treatment. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated with 95% confidence intervals and p-values were utilized to assess linear relationships between QOL measurements. Mixed model regression analysis was used to estimate linear trends in LCADLS, FACIT-PAL, FACIT-TS Recommendation and FACIT-TS Satisfaction scores in the entire cohort and between treatment groups. Mean QOL scores at measurement time points were plotted in order to assess trends over time for both the entire cohort and for treatment groups.

      Results
      There were 105 study participants from 4 hospitals with a median age of 61 years (range 26-89 years). Lung cancer was the most common underlying malignancy, followed by breast and gastrointestinal cancers. MPE was treated by chest tube + pleurodesis (n=39), Tenckhoff catheter alone (n=27), VATS + Tenchkoff (n=20) and VATS + pleurodesis (n=17). In analyzing the entire cohort, there was an overall improvement in shortness of breath (p<0.0001), ability to perform activities of daily living (p=0.03) and quality of life (p<0.0001) for all treatments. There was no statistically significant difference between treatment groups. However, individuals treated with chest tube + pleurodesis had a decrease in treatment satisfaction, while individuals who were treated with VATS + Tenckhoff (p=0.03) or Tenckhoff alone (p=0.04) reported improvement in their treatment satisfaction. LOS was longer for individuals treated with chest tube + pleurodesis (median 10 days) and VATS pleuroscopy (median 6 days) when compared to VATS + Tenckhoff (median 3 days) & Tenckhoff catheter alone (median 2 days).

      Conclusion
      In the management of MPE, patient centered outcomes are most important. All treatment strategies evaluated in this study provided similar improvements in dyspnea, ability to perform activities of daily living and QOL. However, Tenchkoff catheter treatment strategies offer shorter LOS as well as improved treatment satisfaction which is important given the limited life expectancy of patients with MPE.

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