March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so it is fitting that a researcher committed to improving symptom management for patients with this disease was represented at the University of Miami Graduate School’s Sixth Annual Three-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®).
“My number one goal is to promote a better quality of life for colorectal cancer survivors,” explains School of Nursing and Health Studies student Sameena Sheikh-Wu, A.B.S.N. ’15, R.N, a candidate in the SONHS Ph.D. in nursing science program. She was among 10 courageous graduate students from across the U invited to present their original research in under three minutes.
“My research focuses on colorectal cancer survivors’ symptom management and quality of life during cancer survivorship and is firmly rooted in my clinical work as an oncology and hospice nurse,” says Sheikh-Wu. During that time, she observed survivors suffering from numerous unmanaged symptoms that negatively impacted their ability to maintain daily living activities and relationships.
Colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, is a combined term for cancers of the colon and/or rectum. According to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), nearly 53,000 deaths in the U.S. last year were from colorectal cancer. The disease is more common among men than women and among Black Americans than people of other races. Screening starting at age 45 is recommended.
Sheikh-Wu’s brief thesis presentation, titled “Improving Symptoms and Quality of Life through Positive Psychology,” was based on her doctoral dissertation, “The Effect of Positive Psychology on Symptoms and Quality of Life among Acute Colorectal Cancer Survivors,” which she will soon defend.
During 3MT, Sheikh-Wu gave the elevator speech version of her quantitative cross-sectional study for which she recruited patients undergoing treatment for the disease at UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and its satellite facilities. The majority were men with stage IV colon cancer; their mean age: 55.
Symptoms experienced included numbness of hands and feet, changes in the skin such as dryness and discoloration, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and more. Her study found an association between higher positive psychology and less frequent and fewer numbers of symptoms. “Positive psychology refers to how individuals self-regulate and cope with traumatic events like cancer,” explains Sheikh-Wu, who measured the participants’ positive psychology outlook via self-reported questionnaire. Positive psychology, a hopeful outlook or perspective, was shown to mediate the relationship between symptoms and quality of life.
Sheikh-Wu says the finding is a starting point for understanding ways to mitigate adverse outcomes affecting patients being treated for colorectal cancer. Bringing awareness to their struggles can ultimately aid in discovering knowledge and developing interventions to improve their survivorship experience. “Dissemination of findings is critical,” she says. “I anticipate that my scholarly work will advance cancer research and empower nursing through investigating and developing self-management strategies to combat symptom burden and improve survivors’ patient-centered care and quality of life.”
Sheikh-Wu is the third SONHS student selected to compete in 3MT since the launch of the annual competition in 2017. She began her Ph.D. program at SONHS in 2018. To read more about the March 10 event and view all 3MT presentations, including Sheikh-Wu’s, visit https://3mt.grad.miami.edu.
