Breast Cancer — Internet Support for Cancer Patients
Citation(s)
Andersen T, Ruland CM Cancer patients' questions and concerns expressed in an online nurse-delivered mail service: preliminary results. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2009;146:149-53.
Børøsund E, Cvancarova M, Ekstedt M, Moore SM, Ruland CM How user characteristics affect use patterns in web-based illness management support for patients with breast and prostate cancer. J Med Internet Res. 2013 Mar 1;15(3):e34. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2285.
Grimsbø GH, Finset A, Ruland CM Left hanging in the air: experiences of living with cancer as expressed through E-mail communications with oncology nurses. Cancer Nurs. 2011 Mar-Apr;34(2):107-16. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0b013e3181eff008.
Grimsbø GH, Ruland CM, Finset A Cancer patients' expressions of emotional cues and concerns and oncology nurses' responses, in an online patient-nurse communication service. Patient Educ Couns. 2012 Jul;88(1):36-43. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2012.01.007. Epub 2
A Randomized Clincial Trial to Evaluate the Effects of an Internett-based Support System for Cancer Patients on Symptom Distress, Depression, and Quality of Life.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
