Parents navigating a cancer diagnosis are at risk for higher levels of distress and have reported needs including communicating a cancer diagnosis to their young children and preparing them for transition to end-of-life care. There have been few empirically validated interventions in the literature to address this unique population and their needs. Ensuring Children Have Optimal Support (ECHOS) program was developed in our tertiary cancer center to support entire families using strategies from evidence-based psychosocial and family-centered interventions. The program helps patients with cancer and their families communicate about the diagnosis with their children and promote family well-being.

A case study is presented to illustrate the specific needs of a cancer patient with children and demonstrate clinical interventions provided through our ECHOS program.

Specific parental needs addressed included communication of diagnosis, preparation for death, and supporting anticipatory grief.

Our case study illustrates specific needs that cancer patients with children face. We recommend screening and family-tailored interventions for all cancer patients with minor children.

To identify associations between supportive care needs, perceived peer support, and well-being among unpaid cancer caregivers (UCCs) in regional, rural and remote (RRR) Queensland, Australia.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 202 adult UCCs for individuals with advanced cancer in RRR Queensland. Participants completed validated measures assessing unmet needs, perceived social support, psychological distress, caregiver burden, and spiritual need. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM).

CNAT-C, MSPSS, DASS-20, and CDS mean (SD) scores were 1.95 (0.48), 4.63 (1.30), 1.65 (0.59), and 2.66 (0.62), respectively. Practical support was the highest unmet need (M=2.04, SD=0.61), followed by hospital facilities/services (M=1.99, SD=0.59) and healthcare staff (M=1.98, SD=0.59). Internal consistency was high across measures (α=0.806–0.924). Higher unmet needs and perceived peer support were associated with greater distress and poorer well-being (all p<.001). CNAT-C and MSPSS predicted DASS-20 (R2=.236); CNAT-C predicted CDS (R2=.251), whereas MSPSS was not significant. The SEM demonstrated good model fit.

UCCs residing in RRR Queensland reported substantial unmet needs, especially for related to PS and healthcare services. Greater unmet needs were associated with poorer caregiver well-being. The positive association between perceived social support and distress suggests support may be mobilized in response to heightened caregiver strain and highlights the importance of considering the appropriateness and quality of support, alongside availability, for caregivers in RRR settings.

To determine the correlation between spiritual self-care practices and mindfulness among cancer patients in southeast Iran.

This descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 600 eligible cancer patients. Data were collected using three instruments: a demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Spiritual Self-Care Practice Scale, and the Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness Trait Tracker (RMMtm 3.1). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, employing both descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including multivariate regression analysis.

The mean total score for spiritual self-care practice among cancer patients was 3.17 ± 1.15, which was above the questionnaire’s midpoint. Mindful emotion had the highest mean score (3.78 ± 1.67), followed by mindful focus (3.20 ± 1.57) and mindful relaxation (3.14 ± 1.65). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that 63.9% of the variance in spiritual self-care was explained by variables including mindful emotion (β = 0.321, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.122, 0.181]), mindful quiet (β = 0.213, p < 0.001, 95% CI: [0.065, 0.128]), and mindful transcendence (β = 0.163, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.058, 0.139]). Income level, history of underlying disease, and disease stage also showed significant associations.

The study findings indicate a significant relationship between spiritual self-care practice and dimensions of mindfulness. Nurses can address patients’ spiritual self-care practice needs by implementing the nursing process and empowering them through interventions that enhance mindfulness.

Treatment satisfaction is an important patient-reported outcome reflecting patients’ perceptions of treatment effectiveness, tolerability, and overall experience with care. Valid and culturally adapted instruments are needed to assess treatment satisfaction among Arabic-speaking patients with cancer in Lebanon. This study aimed to validate the Arabic version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Treatment Satisfaction (FACIT-TS) Scale among Lebanese patients with cancer.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with cancer from Lebanon. Participants completed the Arabic FACIT-TS along with measures assessing quality of life, psychological distress, and perceived social support. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to evaluate the factorial structure of the scale.

CFA supported a unidimensional structure of the Arabic FACIT-TS with satisfactory fit indices. The scale demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.87; McDonald’s ω = 0.87). Measurement invariance across gender was supported at configural, metric, scalar, and strict levels. No significant difference in treatment satisfaction scores was observed between male and female patients. Higher treatment satisfaction was associated with better quality of life, greater perceived social support, and reduced psychological distress.

The Arabic version of the FACIT-TS demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity among patients with cancer. The instrument appears to be a psychometrically sound tool for assessing treatment satisfaction among Lebanese patients with cancer and may support the integration of patient-reported outcomes into clinical practice and research within Lebanese oncology settings and potentially similar Arabic-speaking clinical contexts pending further validation.

Individuals with schizophrenia have shown distinct cancer incidence patterns.

We aimed to assess whether their cancer-related mortality differs from the general population overall, by gender and by specific cancer types.

We systematically searched Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed and Embase, up to December 2025. Each record was independently screened by two reviewers, and data were independently extracted by two investigators. Two authors assessed the quality of the included articles with the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Analyses were conducted using Stata version 16; between-study heterogeneity was evaluated with Cochran’s Q-statistic and the I2-statistic, and potential sources of heterogeneity were further examined through exploratory meta-regression.

Meta-analysis of cohort studies showed that individuals with schizophrenia had a 55% higher risk of cancer-related death than the general population (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 1.55; 95% CI 1.16–2.07). In gender-stratified analyses, SMRs for all cancers combined were 1.37 (95% CI 1.01–1.87) in men and 1.43 (95% CI 1.15–1.79) in women. Site-specific SMRs were 1.77 (95% CI 1.17–2.68) for breast, 2.40 (95% CI 2.35–2.45) for respiratory, 1.54 (95% CI 1.35–1.76) for gastrointestinal, 2.32 (95% CI 0.72–7.45) for haematologic, 4.43 (95% CI 0.71–27.62) for skin and soft tissue, 3.03 (95% CI 1.96–4.69) for urogenital and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.36–2.83) for other cancers, although precision varied considerably across cancer sites.

Schizophrenia was associated with substantially elevated cancer-related mortality compared with the general population. These findings underscore the need for earlier cancer detection and guideline-concordant, integrated physical and mental healthcare for this high-risk group.

Although it is known that parents caring for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients experience physical and psychological stress, to our knowledge, there are no reports regarding thiamine deficiency (TD) in this population.

From a series of cancer patient caregivers, we identified TD in a mother caring for an AYA cancer patient and report our experience with this case, as treatment enabled the prevention of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE).

A 49-year-old woman who had been caring for her 18-year-old son after he developed graft-versus-host disease following bone marrow transplantation for leukemia visited our psycho-oncology department at the recommendation of her son’s attending physician after witnessing her son experience a seizure. Thirteen months after the initial consultation, she developed difficulty climbing stairs, suggesting a possible physical abnormality. Blood tests revealed a markedly decreased hemoglobin level of 5.7 g/dL, and subsequent evaluation led to a diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia. Five days later, her thiamine level was found to be markedly reduced at 19 ng/mL (reference range: 24–66 ng/mL), and oral thiamine at a dose of 75 mg was initiated. No progression to WE, such as disturbance of consciousness, was observed.

Parents caring for AYA cancer patients are profoundly affected both physically and psychologically by their child’s condition. In the future, attention should be paid to the nutritional status (including TD) of families caring for AYA cancer patients, as this may contribute to improving quality of life for both patients and their families.

To translate the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-ELD14 (EORTC QLQ-ELD14) into Chinese and validate its effectiveness in China.

The Chinese version was developed through a rigorous translation and back-translation process based on the Brislin model, followed by cross-cultural adaptation through expert consultation. A total of 260 elderly cancer patients from a tertiary hospital in Tianjin were recruited between June 2024 and February 2025 to evaluate the instrument’s reliability and validity.

Among the 248 completed responses, the Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-ELD14 demonstrated robust psychometric properties. The questionnaire comprises 7 dimensions (14 items), with item-level content validity indices ranging from 0.800 to 1.000 and a scale-level content validity index of 0.980. Exploratory factor analysis identified 7 underlying factors, accounting for 82.913% of the cumulative variance. Internal consistency was excellent, with a Cronbach’s α of 0.958 for the total scale and dimension alphas exceeding 0.800. Test–retest reliability was 0.849 for the total scale and ranged from 0.813 to 0.856 across dimension.

The Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-ELD14 has good reliability and validity, which is suitable for evaluating the quality of life of elderly cancer patients within Chinese cultural contexts.

Although spiritual pain in cancer patients has been extensively studied, little is known about the spiritual pain experienced by bereaved caregivers in Japan.

This preliminary scale development aimed to clarify the structure of spiritual pain experienced by bereaved caregivers of cancer patients.

This preliminary scale development was conducted as a secondary analysis of the nationwide J-HOPE4 survey, a cross-sectional questionnaire study of bereaved family members of cancer patients. Thirty-five items related to spiritual pain were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA).

Responses were obtained from 930 bereaved caregivers in general hospitals and palliative care units. Seven constructs were obtained through the EFA: Loneliness, Life’s heartlessness, A sense of unfinished business, Distress over patient deterioration, Remorse, Regret, and A sense of loss.

This preliminary scale development provides insights into the structure of spiritual pain experienced by bereaved caregivers of cancer patients. Further validation using independent samples is required.

Seven factors of spiritual pain were identified among bereaved caregivers of cancer patients, and understanding this multidimensional experience may inform supportive care.

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is a unique multi-ligand member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that exists in both membrane-bound and soluble forms. Under physiological conditions, RAGE expression is low in most tissues; however, it is markedly upregulated in response to tissue injury, inflammation or metabolic stress. Ligand-induced activation of RAGE initiates complex intracellular signalling cascades that regulate inflammation, extracellular matrix remodelling, cell proliferation, survival and migration.

While the contribution of RAGE to diabetes and chronic inflammatory diseases is well established, its role in gynaecological disorders remains insufficiently characterized.

This comprehensive review summarizes current evidence on the involvement of RAGE in the pathogenesis of benign gynaecological disorders, such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), pregnancy-related complications and malignant neoplasms of the female reproductive tract.

It also discusses emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting the RAGE pathway, highlighting their potential translational relevance in gynaecological practice.