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Factors associated with supportive care needs in glioma patients in the neuro-oncological outpatient setting

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Abstract

Objective of this study aimed at assessing glioma patients’ supportive care needs in a neurosurgical outpatient setting and identifying factors that are associated with needs for support. In three neuro-oncological outpatient departments, glioma patients were assessed for their psychosocial needs using the Supportive Care Needs Survey short-form (SCNS-SF34-G). Associations between clinical, sociodemographic, treatment related factors as well as distress (measured with the distress thermometer) and supportive care needs were explored using multivariable general linear models. One-hundred and seventy three of 244 eligible glioma patients participated, most of them with primary diagnoses of a high-grade glioma (81%). Highest need for support was observed in ‘psychological needs’ (median 17.5, range 5–45) followed by ‘physical and daily living needs’ (median 12.5, range 0–25) and ‘health system and information needs’ (median 11.3, range 0–36). Needs in the psychological area were associated with distress (R2 = 0.36) but not with age, sex, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), extend of resection, currently undergoing chemotherapy and whether guidance during assessment was offered. Regarding ‘health system and information needs’, we observed associations with distress, age, currently undergoing chemotherapy and guidance (R2 = 0.31). In the domain ‘physical and daily living needs’ we found associations with KPS, residual tumor, as well as with distress (R2 = 0.37). Glioma patients in neuro-oncological departments report unmet supportive care needs, especially in the psychological domain. Distress is the factor most consistently associated with unmet needs requiring support and could serve as indicator for clinical neuro-oncologists to initiate support.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge all further members of our study group—Monika Deininger, Markus Haug, Sonja Grüninger, Linda Stöckelmaier, Katrin Nickel and Güler Savas—for their tremendous support. This work contains parts of the dissertation of Mareile Janko and Karoline Kohlmann.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany

    Mirjam Renovanz, Mareile Janko, Karoline Kohlmann & Florian Ringel

  2. Division of Epidemiology and Health Services Research, Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University Medical Center, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany

    Marlene Hechtner, Jochem König & Susanne Singer

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Ulm, Günzburg, Germany

    Jan Coburger

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Stuttgart, Katharinenhospital, Stuttgart, Germany

    Minou Nadji-Ohl

  5. Center for Neurosurgery, Hirslandenklinik St. Anna, Lucerne, Switzerland

    Anne-Katrin Hickmann

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  1. Mirjam Renovanz
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Correspondence to Mirjam Renovanz.

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The study was in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Renovanz, M., Hechtner, M., Janko, M. et al. Factors associated with supportive care needs in glioma patients in the neuro-oncological outpatient setting. J Neurooncol 133, 653–662 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-017-2484-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-017-2484-y

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