Description du projet :
Lay Summary:
Background and study aim: Cancer diagnose and its treatments can cause long-term effects and impact daily living even years after treatment stopped. Persons diagnosed with cancer and living beyond cancer treatments are called cancer survivors. Our study explores cancer survivors’ symptoms and problems up to ten years after their diagnosis. Our aim is to describe self-reported symptoms and problems cancer survivors experience between five- and ten-years post-diagnosis. Further, we will explore cancer related factors that might predict long-term problems. To achieve our aims, we use a survey to gather data.
Who can participate: Cancer survivors who have been treated in the canton Fribourg at one of the hospital sites linked to the cantonal hospital in Fribourg. Participants must have a diagnose of breast, colorectal, lung or prostate cancer, or a lymphoma or a myeloma. And the date of their diagnose must lie between one to ten years ago. Study participants need to understand written French or German to complete the questionnaires. In this study we will apply no intervention to participants. Eligible study participants will receive study information and questionnaires by postal mail. If they agree to participate, they complete the questionnaires online or in paper format once, no follow-up assessment will be asked for.
What measures do we take: We use the National Comprehensive Cancer Network patient assessment questionnaire to assess long-term problems and the Self-Administered Comorbidity questionnaire. Overall, participants will answer 52 questions taking about 20 minutes to complete. Questions are related to physical symptoms (as for example breathing, skin alterations, pain, fatigue), emotional symptoms (as for example stress, depressive mood), financial challenges, return to work, and healthy behaviour. Comorbidities are for example cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, or other common chronic conditions. Study collaborators will collect 18 items in order to know details related to cancer diagnose, complications during initial treatment, and further participants characteristics from medical records. The study results will show how frequently cancer related long-term symptoms are, and how severe they are between one to five and five to ten years after the diagnose. Further we will perform calculations with treatment and diagnose related information which are related to later problems and symptoms. This might inform in the future earlier tailored interventions and support for cancer survivors who are expected to live with long-term effects caused by their cancer.
Possible benefits and risks: Study participants will have no personal benefit and no risks are expected. Eligible participants are free to decide to answer the questions or not. At the other hand, study participants will give insights in survivorship experience in a Swiss canton. This information can help to improve cancer survivorship care in this region. A fact that might be of benefit later for the participants. Following survey data analysis, we will evaluate current supportive care in the canton Fribourg for cancer survivors and initiate additional support if this is needed.
Study start and end: Participant recruitment started by 27 February 2024 and will be closed by end of Mai 2024. Study end is planned for 31 December 2024.
Where is the study run: The HFR Fribourg – cantonal Hospital is the study sponsor. The principal investigator works the School of Health Science Fribourg/Freiburg, HES-SO University of Applied Science and Arts Western Switzerland.
The study is funded by the HFR Fribourg and the Fondation fribourgeoise pour la recherche et la formation sur le cancer.
Main contact: Prof. Marika Bana, PhD, marika.bana@hefr.ch
Forschungsteam innerhalb von HES-SO:
Bana Marika
Partenaires professionnels: Küng Marc, Dr. med., hôpital fribourgeoise HFR
Durée du projet:
27.02.2024 - 31.12.2024
Montant global du projet: 60'000 CHF
Archivage des données:
Redcap
Statut: Laufend
SWITCH edu-ID
Verwaltung
