ObjectiveTo investigate the supportive care needs (SCNs) and quality of life (QOL) of patients with thyroid cancer at different time points, and explore the trends and relation between the two. MethodsFrom April 2020 to July 2020, the convenience sampling method was used to select the patients with thyroid cancer that met the criteria, and the general data were collected before discharge. The 34-item Supportive Care Needs Survey and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 were used to investigate the SCNs and QOL of patients at preoperative 1 d and postoperative 2 d, 1 month and 6 months. ResultsA total of 102 patients met the criteria were included. Total score of SCNs (F=13.407, P<0.001) and the points of psychological (F=38.525, P<0.001), health information (F=7.935, P=0.006), physical and daily living (F=56.413, P<0.001), patient care and support (F=40.530, P<0.001) needs were statistically different at each time point. The highest need was the psychological need at preoperative 1 d, which was the health information need at each time point after operation, and total score of SCNs was the highest at postoperative 2 d. The points of physical function (F=18.490, P<0.001), cognitive function (F=86.943, P<0.001), emotional function (F=9.121, P=0.003), social function (F=7.117, P=0.009), and overall health status (F=3.156, P=0.039) were statistically different at each time point, which of the physical function, role function, emotional function, social function, and overall health status decreased to the lowest on day 2 after operation. The total score of SCNs at each time point was negatively correlated with the functional factors of the QOL and the overall health status score (P<0.05). ConclusionsThe SCNs and QOL of patients with thyroid cancer show different trends at different time points, and there is a correlation between the two. Medical staff needs to develop personalized interventions according to the different stages of the patients’ disease, and actively provide targeted support and care so as to improve their QOL.
ObjectiveTo longitudinally investigate the characteristics of postoperative weight changes in patients with esophageal cancer and analyze its influencing factors, which can provide certain guidance for nutritional intervention in patients with esophageal cancer. MethodsPatients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgical treatment at the Sichuan Cancer Hospital from December 2020 to February 2022 were prospectively included. The general information questionnaire and body composition analyzer were used to longitudinally investigate the patients’ weight and body composition before surgery (T0), 1 month after surgery (T1), 3 months after surgery (T2) and 6 months after surgery (T3), and the change characteristics were analyzed. The generalized estimating equation was used to analyze the influencing factors for postoperative weight changes in patients with esophageal cancer. ResultsA total of 130 patients were enrolled, including 110 males and 20 females, aged 42-79 (63.33±8.16) years. The weight and body composition of patients with esophageal cancer showed a continuous slow downward trend within 6 months after surgery. The weight loss rate of patients at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery was 5.10%, 7.76%, and 9.86%, respectively. At the same time, the analysis results of the influencing factors for postoperative weight showed that patients with the following characteristics had more weight loss: female (β=−7.703, P=0.001), ≥60 years (β=−3.657, P=0.010), smoking (β=4.622, P=0.010), low tumor differentiation degree (β=4.314, P=0.039), and high frequency of eating (β=−3.400, P=0.008). ConclusionWeight loss is an important health problem for patients with esophageal cancer after surgery, and patients have a continuous downward trend in weight within 6 months after surgery. Medical staff should pay special attention to the patients who are female, ≥60 years, having smoking history and low tumor differentiation degree.