Person:
Traeger, Lara

Profile Picture

Email Address

AA Acceptance Date

Birth Date

Research Projects

Organizational Units

Job Title

Last Name

Traeger

First Name

Lara

Name

Traeger, Lara

Filters

20162

Settings

Author's Publications: search.filters.isAuthorOfPublication.e1430215-a368-4c60-a363-842a52b401f5

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Age and Gender Moderate the Impact of Early Palliative Care in Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
    (AlphaMed Press, 2016) Nipp, Ryan; Greer, Joseph; El-Jawahri, Areej; Traeger, Lara; Gallagher, Emily R.; Park, Elyse; Jackson, Vicki; Pirl, William F.; Temel, Jennifer
    Background. Studies demonstrate that early palliative care (EPC) improves advanced cancer patients’ quality of life (QOL) and mood. However, it remains unclear whether the role of palliative care differs based upon patients’ demographic characteristics. We explored whether age and gender moderate the improvements in QOL and mood seen with EPC. Methods. We performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Patients received either EPC integrated with oncology care or oncology care alone. We assessed the degree to which QOL (Trial Outcome Index [TOI]) and mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS] and Patient Health Questionnaire 9 [PHQ-9]) outcomes at week 12 varied by patient age (<65) and gender. The week 12 data of 107 patients are included in this analysis. Results. At 12 weeks, younger patients receiving EPC reported better QOL (TOI mean = 62.04 vs. 49.43, p = .001) and lower rates of depression (HADS–Depression = 4.0% vs. 52.4%, p < .001; PHQ-9 = 0.0% vs. 28.6%, p = .006) than younger patients receiving oncology care alone. Males receiving EPC reported better QOL (TOI mean = 58.81 vs. 48.30, p = .001) and lower rates of depression (HADS–Depression = 18.5% vs. 60.9%, p = .002; PHQ-9 = 3.8% vs. 34.8%, p = .008) than males receiving oncology care alone. At 12 weeks, QOL and mood did not differ between study groups for females and older patients. Conclusion. Males and younger patients who received EPC had better QOL and mood than those who received oncology care alone. However, these outcomes did not differ significantly between treatment groups for females or older patients. Implications for Practice: This study found that early palliative care improves patients’ quality of life and mood differentially based on their age and gender. Specifically, males and younger patients receiving early palliative care experienced better quality of life and mood than those receiving oncology care alone. Conversely, females and older patients did not experience this treatment effect. Thus, palliative care interventions may need to be tailored to patients’ age- and gender-specific care needs. Studying how patients’ demographic characteristics affect their experience with palliative care will enable the development of interventions targeted to the distinct supportive care needs of patients with cancer.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Oncologists' and Cancer Patients' Views on Whole-Exome Sequencing and Incidental Findings: Results from The CanSeq Study
    (2016) Gray, Stacy; Park, Elyse; Najita, Julie; Martins, Yolanda; Traeger, Lara; Bair, Elizabeth; Gagne, Joshua; Garber, Judy; Janne, Pasi; Lindeman, Neal; Lowenstein, Carol; Oliver, Nelly; Sholl, Lynette; Van Allen, Eliezer; Wagle, Nikhil; Wood, Sam; Garraway, Levi; Joffe, Steven
    Purpose While targeted sequencing improves outcomes for many cancer patients, how somatic and germline whole-exome sequencing (WES) will integrate into care remains uncertain. Methods: We conducted surveys and interviews, within a study of WES integration at an academic center, to determine oncologists' attitudes about WES and to identify lung and colorectal cancer patients' preferences for learning WES findings. Results: 167 patients (85% white, 58% female, mean age 60) and 27 oncologists (22% female) participated. Although oncologists had extensive experience ordering somatic tests (median 100/year), they had little experience ordering germline tests. Oncologists intended to disclose most WES results to patients but anticipated numerous challenges in using WES. Patients had moderately low levels of genetic knowledge (mean 4 correct of 7). Most patients chose to learn results that could help select a clinical trial, pharmacogenetic and positive prognostic results, and results suggesting inherited predisposition to cancer and treatable non-cancer conditions (all ≥95%). Fewer chose to receive negative prognostic results (84%) and results suggesting predisposition to untreatable non-cancer conditions (85%). Conclusion: The majority of patients want most cancer-related and incidental WES results. Patients' low levels of genetic knowledge and oncologists' inexperience with large-scale sequencing presage challenges to implementing paired WES in practice.