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照顾者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系统恶性肿瘤患者，这是研究的重要原因有很多。这些癌症在美国一直在稳步增长，2010年估计有137,266例新病例。此外，血液病癌症患者的社会和心理挑战和结果尚未得到充分的研究。血液病癌症由于其长期性尤其具有挑战性。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，很少有研究调查血液病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，就因过早死亡造成的生产力损失而言，血液病癌症是成本最高的癌症之一。这项研究将在两年的时间内跟踪250对受雇的血液病患者及其家庭护理人员，以评估他们如何就治疗和护理决策进行沟通，从而导致特定的社会心理、经济和医疗保健结果。本研究的目的如下：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经济、社会心理和医疗保健结果相关。目标2。检查与癌症交流水平下降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.