The Department of Gastroenterology, United Lincolnshire NHS Trust, Lincoln County Hospital, Lincoln, UK.
Community and Health Research Unit, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK.
Support Care Cancer. 2023 Oct 16;31(12):634. doi: 10.1007/s00520-023-08108-4.
There are increasing numbers of patients who have been treated for colorectal cancer (CRC) who struggle with ongoing physical and psychological symptoms. 'Cancer survivor' is often used to describe these patients but this terminology remains controversial. This study sought to understand the follow-up experience of CRC patients in the UK and identify the terminology they prefer following diagnosis and treatment.
Purposeful sampling of patients from specialist CRC follow-up clinics was performed until data saturation was achieved. Two 1:1 semi-structured qualitative interviews were performed for each participant. Data were analysed thematically.
Seventeen participants, median age = 62, 53% male were interviewed. Several themes were identified. Of note, fear of cancer recurrence dominates patients' agendas at follow-up appointments. There are also clinical and administrative barriers to discussing symptoms including being embarrassed, feeling that their symptoms were not relevant or not having enough time to discuss issues. However, there are several methods which may improve this, such as through the use of video consultations and questionnaires. In addition, patients identified inadequate holistic support despite significant psychological and social distress. Our data suggest that labelling a diverse group of patients as 'cancer survivors' can be problematic.
It is important that clinicians systematically screen patients for symptoms that are known to occur following treatment. Clinicians and patients should have routine access to pathways and programmes that can support patients in navigating their life after cancer therapy.
越来越多的结直肠癌 (CRC) 患者在治疗后仍存在持续的身体和心理症状。“癌症幸存者”通常用于描述这些患者，但这种术语仍存在争议。本研究旨在了解英国 CRC 患者的随访经历，并确定他们在诊断和治疗后更喜欢使用的术语。
对专门的 CRC 随访诊所的患者进行有目的的抽样，直到达到数据饱和。对每位参与者进行两次 1:1 的半结构化定性访谈。对数据进行主题分析。
共采访了 17 名参与者，中位年龄为 62 岁，男性占 53%。确定了几个主题。值得注意的是，对癌症复发的恐惧主导着患者在随访预约时的议程。在讨论症状时也存在临床和行政障碍，包括感到尴尬、认为自己的症状无关紧要或没有足够的时间讨论问题。然而，有几种方法可以改善这种情况，例如使用视频咨询和问卷。此外，患者认为尽管存在明显的心理和社会困扰，但他们得到的整体支持不足。我们的数据表明，将一组不同的患者标记为“癌症幸存者”可能会有问题。
临床医生系统地筛查患者是否存在已知的治疗后出现的症状非常重要。临床医生和患者应该能够常规访问可以支持患者在癌症治疗后生活的途径和计划。
