The psychological impact of treatment for oesophageal cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The psychological impact of pre-operative chemotherapy treatment for oesophageal cancer: a mixed methods study.
IRAS ID
180740
Contact name
Kirsten Stewart-Knight
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 15 days
Research summary
Oesophageal cancer is an aggressive malignant disease which can affect all areas of quality of life. Where early diagnosis offers the possibility of full cure, some patients undergo chemotherapy treatment before highly invasive oesophageal surgery. 'Health- related quality of life' has been a concept that has been a focus of research and policy within cancer services. It is also used as a focus of assessment for cancer patients’ wellbeing, based on the idea that better health-related quality of life relates to improved physical health outcomes and recovery following treatment. Research has also found that anxiety and depression, self-efficacy (confidence in one’s ability to cope with challenges) and perceived levels of social support have been associated with health-related quality of life. However, although much has been written about the impact of cancer on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) little research has considered patients’ experiences of pre-operative chemotherapy treatment and even less has focused on the experiences of patients in this specific context of active curative treatment for oesophageal cancer.
The proposed study will use mixed methods to consider the psychological impact of undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for oesophageal surgery. The study will first quantitatively examine how HR-QoL changes during pre-operative chemotherapy and whether self-efficacy, psychological distress and perceived social support (factors that have been found to be predictive of HR-QoL in other cancer contexts) are associated with the trajectory of changes in HR-QoL before and after pre-operative chemotherapy for oesophageal cancer. Qualitative semi-structured interviews will then explore 10-12 patients’ experiences and will be analysed using thematic analysis. It is expected that this study will further current understanding of psychological effects of this treatment and similar treatments and care pathways and that this will inform future service development and clinical practice.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1356
Date of REC Opinion
21 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion