Psychological and behavioral symptoms in patients with melanoma: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveImproved survival rates have made it increasingly important for clinicians to focus on cancer survivorship issues affecting the quality of life of melanoma patients. To provide a comprehensive overview of the disease and treatment‐related issues affecting such patients, we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the literature to estimate the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and cognitive problems among melanoma patients, both uveal and cutaneous, before, during and after treatment.MethodsThe review was preregistered with PROSPERO (#CRD42020189847) and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. A comprehensive search of the literature published up until June 2022 was undertaken using PubMed, PsycInfo, the Cochrane Library, and CINAHL. Two independent reviewers screened 1418 records and quality‐rated included studies. The reported prevalence rates of symptoms were pooled using a random‐effects model.ResultsSixty‐six studies including a total of 12,400 melanoma patients published between 1992 and 2022 were included. Pooled prevalence rates ranged from 6% to 16% for depression and 7%–30% for anxiety across diagnoses (uveal and cutaneous melanoma) and assessment time points. One third of the patients (35%) reported clinically significant fatigue, 20%–44% had cognitive complaints, while prevalence of sleep disturbance was not reported. Quality assessment indicated that 80% of the studies were of good quality.ConclusionA large body of research shows that depression and anxiety symptoms are prevalent in melanoma patients before, during and after treatment. However, research examining other symptoms known to affect quality of life, such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive problems, is still needed.

Unusual location of subungual melanoma surgically managed successfully: A rare case report from Syria

“…The psychological impact of subungual melanoma on patients and their families is significant. Anxiety and depression are common in patients with melanoma before, during and after treatment [ 14 ]. It is crucial for healthcare providers to recognize the potential psychological impact of SUM and offer the necessary support to patients.…”

Depression Moderates the Relationship between Trait Anxiety, Worry and Attentional Control in Melanoma Survivors

“…The Attentional Control Scale (ACS; [33]) is a 20-item self-report instrument assessing an individual's ability to focus and shift attention. Participants responded to 8 positively worded statements of everyday attention (4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 19, e.g., it is easy for me to read or write while I'm also talking on the phone) and 12 negatively worded statements (1,2,3,6,7,8,11,12,15,16,18,20, e.g., When I am working hard on something, I still get distracted) on a 4-point scale of 1 = almost never to 4 = always. Total scores ranged from 20 to 80, with higher scores reflecting better attentional control.…”

“…Cognitive problems such as attention and concentration difficulties are also reported in the broader cancer survivorship literature [10,11], including investigations with melanoma patients [12]. Studies with healthy participants have shown that heightened anxiety is related to attention and memory deficits [13,14].…”

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Particularities of Symptomatic Melanoma Brain Metastases from Case Report to Literature Review

“…Psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety are a frequent occurrence in patients diagnosed with late-stage cancer [1,2]. Conversely, surgeons treating locally advanced tumors sometimes discover that their patients have in fact long been treated for psychiatric disorders, which turn out to have been the first manifestations of metastatic brain disease stemming from a yet undiagnosed cancer.…”