Communication and Economic Outcomes for Cancer Survivors

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的目的是评估患者及其家庭护理人员之间的癌症沟通是否是特定癌症护理结果的重要和独立因素，包括经济结果，特别是劳动力市场参与，生活质量和决策结果。本研究的重点是成人血液恶性肿瘤患者，由于多种原因，这些患者的研究非常重要。这些癌症在美国一直在稳步增加，2010年估计有137，266例新发病例。此外，血液癌症患者的社会和心理挑战和结果尚未得到充分研究。血液癌症由于其慢性性而特别具有挑战性。患者如何在这种疾病中生存，包括他们维持社会和家庭承诺的能力至关重要。然而，很少有研究探讨血液系统癌症如何影响患者及其照顾者的劳动力市场参与。引人注目的是，与其他癌症的生产力成本相比，血液癌症是由于过早死亡而导致生产力损失最昂贵的癌症之一。这项研究将在两年的时间里跟踪250对受雇的血液癌症患者及其家庭照顾者，以评估他们如何沟通治疗和护理决策，从而导致特定的心理社会，经济和医疗保健结果。本研究有以下目的：目的1。纵向测试护理人员和患者之间的癌症沟通如何与短期和长期的经济，心理社会和医疗保健结果相关。目标二。检查与癌症沟通水平降低相关的患者和家庭特征。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this study will be to assess whether cancer communication between patients and their family caregivers is an important and independent factor in specific cancer care outcomes, including economic outcomes, especially labor market participation, quality of life and decisional outcomes. This study focuses on patients with hematological malignancies in adults which are important to study for a number of reasons. These cancers have been steadily increasing in the U.S. with an estimated 137,266 new cases in 2010. In addition, hematological cancer patients' social and psychological challenges and outcomes have not been adequately studied. Hematological cancers are particularly challenging because of their chronicity. How patients survive with this disease, including their ability to maintain their social and family commitments is critical. Few studies, however, have examined how hematologic cancers affect patients' and their caregivers' labor market participation. Strikingly, in comparison to the productivity cost of other cancers, hematological cancers are among the most costly cancers in terms of productivity loss due to premature death. This study will follow 250 pairs of employed hematologic cancer patients and their family caregivers over a two-year period to assess how they communicate about treatment and care decisions, which lead to specific psychosocial, economic, and healthcare outcomes. This study has the following aims: Aim 1. Test longitudinally how cancer communication between caregivers and patients are associated with short and long-term economic, psychosocial, and healthcare outcomes. Aim 2. Examine patient and family characteristics that are associated with decreased levels of cancer communication.