The Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer

Abstract

BACKGROUNDThe psychological difficulties facing men with prostate cancer are acknowledged widely, yet identifying men who may benefit from mental health treatment has proven to be a challenging task. The authors developed the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX‐PC) to facilitate the identification and assessment of men with prostate cancer‐related anxiety. This scale consists of three subscales that measure general prostate cancer anxiety, anxiety related to prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in particular, and fear of recurrence.METHODSAmbulatory men with prostate cancer (n = 385 patients) were recruited from clinics throughout the United States. Prior to routine PSA tests, participants completed a baseline assessment packet that included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; the Distress Thermometer; the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale, Prostate Module; and measures of role functioning, sleep, and urinary functioning. PSA values from the last three tests also were collected. Follow‐up evaluation was completed within 2 weeks after patients learned of their PSA test result using a subset of these scales.RESULTSAnalysis of the MAX‐PC revealed a high degree of internal consistency and test‐retest reliability for the total score and for the three subscales, although reliability was somewhat weaker for the PSA Anxiety Scale. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by correlations between the MAX‐PC and measures of anxiety. Overall changes in PSA levels were correlated only modestly with changes in MAX‐PC scores (correlation coefficient, 0.13; P = 0.02).CONCLUSIONSThe MAX‐PC appears to be a valid and reliable measure of anxiety in men with prostate cancer receiving ambulatory care. Cancer 2003;97:2910–8. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11386

Assessing anxiety in Black men with prostate cancer: further data on the reliability and validity of the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC)

“…In past validation studies of the MAX-PC, the PSA Anxiety scale has produced only marginal psychometric properties [12, 13]. In the original validation study, the internal consistency of the scale was .56.…”

“…The MAX-PC is an 18-item measure consisting of three subscales: Prostate Cancer Anxiety (PCA), PSA Anxiety, and Fear of Recurrence [12, 13]. Items include intrusive and avoidant thoughts specifically related to prostate cancer.…”

“…This led Roth and his colleagues to develop the Memorial Anxiety Measure-Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC), which assesses anxiety specifically related to PC [12, 13]. The initial validation studies of the MAX-PC demonstrated this as a psychometrically sound instrument, and this measure is currently considered one of the gold standard measures when assessing prostate cancer specific anxiety [12, 13]. …”

Decipher test impacts decision making among patients considering adjuvant and salvage treatment after radical prostatectomy: Interim results from the Multicenter Prospective PRO‐IMPACT study

“…Total DCS scores range from 12 to 60, with higher scores indicating greater decisional conflict or lower decision effectiveness 15. The modified 18‐item MAX‐PC produces a summary score and also includes 3 subscales: Prostate Cancer Anxiety, PSA Anxiety, and Fear of Prostate Cancer Recurrence, with items scored on a rating scale of 0 to 3 17, 18. Individual items are summed, with higher scores representing higher levels of anxiety 18…”

Anxiété et cancer de la prostate À propos d’un groupe de parole de patients atteints d’un cancer de la prostate

“…Dans un tel contexte, le dialogue avec l'épouse ou la compagne du patient prend toute son importance : il constitue une source d'information importante en ce qui concerne le niveau de détresse psychologique de leur mari ou compagnon [23]. Il est désormais simple d'évaluer le niveau d'anxiété du patient atteint d'un cancer de la prostate grâce à une échelle visuelle analogique (EVA) mise au point par Roth et al [21] et tout à fait comparable, dans son utilisation, à celle qui est utilisée dans l'évaluation de la douleur (Fig.…”