Kazuko Akashi, Yoshie Imai, Shingen Nakamura, 高橋 真美子 and Hirokazu Miki : Attitudes toward treatment among patients with hematologic malignancies at first relapse: A qualitative analysis of age-specific characteristics, Supportive Care in Cancer, 1, 1, 2-9, 2026.
(Summary)
Objective: To elucidate attitudes toward treatment among patients with hematologic malignancies at first re- lapse, with a focus on age-specific differences, in order to draw implications for nursing support. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 patients who had begun treatment for a first re- lapse of a hematologic malignancy. Data were analyzed using an inductive qualitative approach. Results: Among patients under the age of 65 years, three categories emerged: (1) constructing a personal ap- proach to complete treatment based on prior experience and current circumstances; (2) resolving to survive through mental discipline, especially now that relapse has occurred; and (3) situating the treatment process as a part of life and aspiring to grow so as to make that time meaningful. Among patients aged 65 years or older, four categories were identified: (1) trusting in the efficacy of treatment, enduring suffering, and concentrating solely on completing treatment; (2) anticipating physical frailty, preparing in advance, and undertaking treatment with complete readiness; (3) maintaining equanimity by moderating emotional fluctuations; and (4) relinquishing hope for cure, yielding oneself to the course of treatment, and accepting all out- comes. Conclusion: A distinctive age-related feature of attitudes toward treatment at first relapse was that patients perceived their stance not as fixed at a single point, but as unfolding along the course of their lives. These findings highlight the need for nursing support that attends to the temporal significance of patients' perspectives and recog- nizes age-specific differences.
2.
Kazuko Akashi, Yoshie Imai, Shingen Nakamura, Yusaku Maeda, Ryohei Sumitani, Masahiro Oura, Kimiko Sogabe, Shiroh Fujii, Takeshi Harada and Hirokazu Miki : Preparedness for the future in patients with relapsed or refractory hematopoietic malignancies in the treatment process: a qualitative study, Annals of Palliative Medicine, 14, 1, 43-56, 2025.
(Keyword)
Hematopoietic malignancy / relapsed or refractory hematopoietic malignancy (R/R hematopoietic malignancy); / patient preference / preparedness for the future / patient goals