Given the long induction time of many cancers and the fact that modifiable risk factors (e.g., cigarette smoking) including preventive factors (e.g., human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccination, healthy dietary and physical activity patterns) are influenced in adolescence, educating adolescents about cancer causation and risk reduction may have a large…

Skin cancers are the most common malignancy in Australia. Regular sunscreen use can reduce the incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas and actinic keratoses and has been associated with reducing the incidence of basal cell carcinomas and melanomas. However, sunscreen effectiveness is limited by the failure of the population to use it…

Background: Women with an intellectual disability (ID) have a similar risk of developing breast cancer as women in the general population yet present with later stage breast cancers, which have poorer outcomes. Aim: To identify whether there is a need to develop a breast cancer awareness intervention for women with an ID. Methods: Interventions…

Background: The use of videos for patient and public health education has been widely adopted and well documented in the literature. Aims: To conduct a systematic review of empirical studies that used video-based interventions for cancer prevention and control to document study designs, settings, approaches, targeted cancer sites and behaviors,…

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PWIDD) often encounter barriers in the health care system when seeking general and specialized medical care. Literature has shown that PWIDD experience a lack of proper screening for and prevention of cancer compared to the general population. However, less is known regarding the cancer care…

Purpose: The objective was to examine experimental and quasi-experimental studies about interventions that (i) included behavioral, psychological, educational, or vocational components; (ii) involved cancer survivors aged 18 years or older; and (iii) assessed employment outcomes. Methods: The aims were both to describe the variety of interventions…

Background: On 14 May 2013, Angelina Jolie (AJ), revealed herself to be the carrier of a BReast CAncer 1 (BRCA1) gene mutation and announced her decision to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy, followed by a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. This review explores the impact of the "Angelina Jolie Effect" in order to reveal…

This review article examines current knowledge about the efficacy of art therapy based on the findings of 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted with adult populations from 2008-2013 that met a high standard of rigor. Of these studies, all but one reported beneficial effects of art therapy. Review findings suggest that art therapy may…

Individuals diagnosed with head and neck cancer (HNC) not only face a potentially life-threatening diagnosis but must endure treatment that often results in significant, highly visible disfigurement and disruptions of essential functioning, such as deficits or complications in eating, swallowing, breathing, and speech. Each year, approximately…

In the United States, an estimated 1.5 million people are diagnosed annually with some type of cancer (American Cancer Society, 2011). Work is an important stabilizing factor for cancer survivors (Arnold, 1999). De Boer and colleagues (2009) identified a rate of 33.8% unemployment among cancer survivors beyond the age of 18 compared to 15.2% among…

This paper reviews the medical (salutogenic) effect of interventions that aim to improve quality of life. Review of studies where the global quality of life in chronically ill patients was improved independently of subjective and objective factors (like physical and mental health, yearly income, education, social network, self-esteem, sexual…

Reports an error in "Cancer-related fatigue: A systematic and meta-analytic review of non-pharmacological therapies for cancer patients" by Maria Kangas, Dana H. Bovbjerg and Guy H. Montgomery (Psychological Bulletin, 2008[Sep], Vol 134[5], 700-741). The URL to the Supplemental Materials for the article is listed incorrectly in two places in the…

The American Indian tribal nations and communities have long experienced health status worse than that of other Americans. Although major gains in reducing health disparities were made during the last half of the 20th century, most gains stopped by the mid-1980s. Consequently, health disparities continue to exist with marked variation across…

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a significant clinical problem for more than 10 million adults diagnosed with cancer each year worldwide. No "gold standard" treatment presently exists for CRF. To provide a guide for future research to improve the treatment of CRF, the authors conducted the most comprehensive combined systematic and meta-analytic…

Research on the impact of cancer on the family is reviewed with regard to both the clinical course of cancer and the developmental stages of the family system. Combining these two dimensions provides insight into the current literature regarding cancer's impact on the family, intervention strategies, and future directions. (Author/EMK)