The two studies will focus on a program aimed at helping men with prostate cancer and their partners address cancer treatment-related symptoms and quality of life issues.
Lixin Song, PhD, RN, associate professor of nursing and a member of UNC Lineberger’s cancer prevention and control program, recently received two National Institute of Health research grants totaling $2.95 million to study a program aimed at helping men with prostate cancer and their partners address cancer treatment-related symptoms and quality of life issues.
Song will use a $2.58 million National Institute for Nursing Research grant to conduct a randomized trial of Prostate Cancer Education & Resources for Couples (PERC), an mHealth program focused on the needs of men from diverse backgrounds who have recently completed treatment for prostate cancer, and their intimate partners.
The program is designed to increase knowledge and skills for managing treatment symptoms and improving quality of life. The study will address the supportive care needs of men who are transitioning from active treatment for localized prostate cancer to post-treatment self-management at home, as well as the needs of their intimate partners who are often their primary caregivers.
Song and her team will also investigate the feasibility of pairing PERC with survivorship care plans, research made possible with a $363,660 National Cancer Institute grant. Specifically, they want to know whether developing survivorship care plans that incorporate technology-based programs such as PERC will smooth the referral and uptake of psychoeducational programs to enhance post-treatment supportive care for cancer patients and their families.
“For patients who are in an intimate relationship, prostate cancer is a couple’s illness. We are glad that we can involve both patients and their partners in this supportive care program.” said Song. “All this work started with a UNC Lineberger Developmental Grant I received a few years ago. We have worked closely with patients, their families, and clinicians to improve patient- and family-centered care. I am extremely grateful for the support from UNC Lineberger and the grants from the National Institute for Nursing Research and the National Cancer Institute that will help advance family cancer research and clinical supportive care for patients and their families.”
The co-Investigators on Song’s team include Deborah Mayer, PhD, RN, AOCN, FAAN, Ronald Chen, MD, MPH, Matthew Nielsen, MD, MS, Thomas Keyserling, MD, MPH, Mary Palmer, PhD, RNC, FAAN, AGSF, Sarah Birken, PhD, Christine Rini, PhD, Laurel Northouse, PhD, RN, Xianming Tan, PhD, and Mark Weaver, PhD.