Publications & Presentations

CancerSupportSourceTM‐Caregiver is a distress screening, referral, and support program designed to identify the unmet needs of cancer caregivers and link caregivers to desired resources and support. This study refined and finalized the CancerSupportSource‐Caregiver screening measure and examined its psychometric properties.

Biomarker testing (BT) in oncology is rapidly becoming the standard of care across cancer types. There is an established relationship between BT and subsequent prognosis, as well as patient-reported outcomes; thus, the barriers and facilitators for BT are essential to understand. This study investigated the utilization of BT among people diagnosed with cancer and the most frequently experienced BT problems, as well as the person and systems-level factors associated with BT problems.

In blood cancers like lymphoma, patients often feel their cancer is invisible to others, and may have less contact with the healthcare team during periods of prolonged remission. Further, lymphoma patients experience levels of distress, anxiety, and depression that can impact participation in treatment or hinder treatment decision-making and health-related quality of life. 

Cancer patients and survivors experience distress related to physical, psychological, social, and financial concerns. Individuals diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer(TNBC) may be at increased risk of distress due to the aggressive nature of the illness and high rates of recurrence.

Individuals with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) are at increased risk for financial toxicity, which can negatively impact treatment adherence and health-related quality of life.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are particularly costly, with patients facing an estimated burden of nearly $130,000 in the first two years following diagnosis.

About 1 in 5 people diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) will be considered HER2+, and nearly half of those diagnosed with HER2+ BC develop brain metastases. Brain metastases increase the risk of impairments, faster disease progression, and shorter survival time. Despite the significant burden faced by people with HER2+ BC living with brain metastases (BMBC), there is little research available characterizing the unique experiences of this community.