<p>Fear of cancer recurrence, anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescent and young adult cancer patients</p>

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have indicated that younger age is consistently associated with high levels of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), anxiety and depression. However, the associations among these variables in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients are not clear. This study explores the prevalence and correlates of FCR, anxiety and depressive symptoms in Chinese AYA cancer population. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that includes 249 patients aged between 15 and 39 yrs at the time of cancer diagnosis. Patient’s sociodemographic, clinical as well as psychological characteristics were collected by an information sheet, the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), General Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results: Eighty-nine (35.74%) patients experienced dysfunctional level of FCR, eighty-two (32.93%) patients experienced anxiety symptoms and ninety-six (38.55%) reported depressive symptoms. In multivariate analyses, being single, pessimistic, having more concurrent stressful life events and physical comorbidity were independently associated with higher FCR, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Patients who were not engaging in radiotherapy were more likely to report higher anxiety level. Conclusion: FCR, anxiety and depressive symptoms are frequently reported problems among AYA cancer patients. Age-appropriate and flexible psychological interventions are needed for this high-risk population.

Distrés psicológico, miedo a la recurrencia del cáncer y calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en sobrevivientes de cáncer de mama venezolanas

“…Asimismo, el distrés psicológico y MRC se asociaron con la CDVRS en las pacientes sobrevivientes de cáncer de mama. Lo que indica que al experimentar niveles elevados distrés y de MRC, la CDVRS global se deteriora, tal como se ha reportado en estudios previos (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) . Algunos estudios (22,32) , reportaron que las pacientes sobrevivientes con cáncer de mama con una mejor CDVRS presentan mejor funcionamiento físico, emocional y social y una menor incidencia de MRC y distrés psicológico.…”

“…De acuerdo al perfil sociodemográfico de las pacientes, que indicó que la mayoría de ellas se encuentran en edades activas, en tiempo menor a 5 años de supervivencia, frecuentemente madres, solteras, aunque laboralmente activas, de bajo nivel socioeconómico y sin estudios superiores, son factores importantes que pueden mantener los niveles de distrés psicológico y de MRC, tal como se ha reportado en algunos estudios (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) . Se sabe que la interacción entre factores biológicos y psicosociales relacionados al cáncer pueden desbordar los recursos de afrontamiento de los pacientes oncológicos y dar lugar a respuestas emocionales que pueden desarrollarse en un continúo que va del distrés común hasta desórdenes de ajuste, de ansiedad o depresión (45) .…”

“…Se ha reportado evidencia de la relación, frecuentemente moderadas, entre el distres y el MRC (17,(23)(24)(25)(26) . Mientras que otros estudios (27,28) no encontrado relación entre estas variables, o bien, que pueden manifestarse en conjunto. El MRC al ser elevado afecta la CDVRS, deteriorando la salud física y mental de los pacientes oncológicos, que provoca en ellos impedimentos importantes en el desenvolvimiento en la vida diaria (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(29)(30)(31) .…”

Suicidal Ideation in Newly-Diagnosed Chinese Cancer Patients

“…A Case Record Form (CRF) was designed for this study to collect generic demographic and clinical information, such as gender, age, education level, marital status, employment status, personal monthly income, treatment/family history, physical comorbidities, lifestyle (smoking and exercise), and previous experience. Experience of adversity in childhood and experience of severe illness were assessed by two yes/no questions ( 15 ): 1) Have you ever experienced any childhood adversity, such as sexual abuse, bullying, traffic accident, or natural calamities? 2) Have you ever experienced any severe illness during childhood, such as childhood cancer, or traumatic injury?…”

“…A recent review reported a wider range of percentages between 0.8 and 71.4% of suicidal ideation in cancer patients, compared to a range of 1. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].8% in the general population (11). Another review, involving 44 relevant studies indicated that the prevalence of suicidal ideation ranged from 0.8 to 46.2% among cancer patients; with lowest figures being reported by an American study while the highest percentage was reported in Chinese samples (12).…”