Emotional Distress in Cancer Patients During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Patricia Toquero,Carmen Blanco Fernández,María Pilar López Martí,Berta Hernández Marín,E. Beatriz Vera Cea,Ana Garrido García,Elena Méndez Carrascosa,Dulce Bañón Torres,Olga Donnay Candil,Ana Isabel Ballesteros García,J.M. Sánchez-Torres,Pablo Costas Rojo,R. Mondejar,R. Colomer,Nuria Romero-Laorden +14 more
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In this paper, the authors conducted a prospective study in outpatients under active cancer treatment during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and found that 52.8% of emotional distress, 42.3% of anxiety and 58.6% of depression rates were detected.Abstract:
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mental health problems worldwide. The psychopathological implications of COVID-19 in cancer patients have rarely been addressed. Considering the increased vulnerability of oncology patients, this issue needs to be addressed to improve the long-term mental health status of these patients. Methods: We conducted a prospective study in outpatients under active cancer treatment during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-structured 24-question survey was designed to measure baseline sociodemographic, psychosocial and COVID-19 exposure characteristics. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to measure psychological symptoms. A descriptive and analytical univariate analysis of the variables studied was performed. We used the Z-score to compare different populations (experimental and historical control cohort). Results: 104 patients were included, the majority of which were women (64.4%), were above 65 years of age (57.7%), had either lung and breast cancer (56.7%), had advanced disease (64%) and were undergoing chemotherapy (63.5%). 51% of them expressed greater fear of cancer than of COVID-19 infection or both. In relation to HADS, 52.8% of emotional distress, 42.3% of anxiety and 58.6% of depression rates were detected. The main factors related with higher rates of psychological symptomatology were history of previous psychotropic drug consumption and the adoption of additional infection prevention measures because they considered themselves at risk of severe COVID-19 infection (p = 0.008; p = 0.003 for emotional distress, p = 0.026; p = 0.004 for anxiety, and p = 0.013; p = 0.008 for depression). Tumor type, stage, oncologic treatment or rescheduling of cancer treatments were not related to higher levels of psychological symptomatology. Comparison of our results with another population of similar characteristics was not significant (Z score = -1.88; p = 0.060). Conclusions: We detected high rates of emotional distress during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic among cancer patients in active treatment (52.8%). This was higher and clinically relevant than observed in a comparable population (42.5%), although not significant. Cancer itself is the main factor of concern for cancer patients, above and beyond the emotional distress generated by COVID-19 pandemic.read more
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The prevalence of psychological disorders among cancer patients during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A meta‐analysis
Lemeng Zhang,Xiaohong Liu,Fei Tong,R. Zhou,Wanglian Peng,Hui Yang,Desong Yang,Xu-fen Huang,Min-ni Wen,Ling Jiang,Lili Yi +10 more
TL;DR: It is necessary to develop psychological interventions to improve the mental health of cancer patients during the pandemic, and the prevalence rate of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), insomnia, distress, and fear of cancer progression/recurrence among patients with cancer during the COVID‐19 pandemic is evaluated.
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Jörg Haier,Johannes Beller,Kristina Adorjan,Stefan Bleich,Moritz de Greck,Frank Griesinger,Alexander Hein,R. Hurlemann,Sören Torge Mees,Alexandra Philipsen,Gernot Rohde,Georgia Schilling,Karolin Trautmann,Stephanie E. Combs,Siegfried Geyer,Jürgen Schäfers +15 more
TL;DR: In patients, the COVID-19 pandemic induced specific decisional uncertainty and distress accompanied by intensified stress and psychological disturbances, whereas availability of sufficient pandemic-related information prevented these problems.
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Experiences of cancer care in COVID-19: A longitudinal qualitative study
TL;DR: In this article , the authors explored the cancer care experiences of people living with and beyond cancer during COVID-19 in Ireland using semi-structured interviews with sixteen participants and found that participants' constant fear of COVID19 over time and efforts to stay safe by following the "rules" was a common experience.
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The Mental Health Burden of Patients with Colorectal Cancer Receiving Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of the PICO-SM Study
Kok Haw Jonathan Lim,Panagiotis Ntellas,Daniel M. Anderson,Lilly Simpson,Michael Braun,Marios Adamou,Jorge Barriuso,Katerina Dadouli,Jacqueline Connell,Theodora Germetaki,Deirdre Lehwald,Niall Fitzpatrick,Mark Cutting,Danielle McCool,Jurjees Hasan,Saifee Mullamitha,Kalena Marti,Mark N. K. Saunders,Konstantinos Kamposioras +18 more
TL;DR: In this paper , a prospective longitudinal questionnaire was carried out to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and general well-being of patients with colorectal cancer.
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A Study on Head and Neck Cancer Patients Who Opted for Best Supportive Care Before and After the COVID-19 Epidemic
Yuki Tamura,Tomofumi Sakagami,Toshiki Utsunomiya,Minaki Shimizu,Kensuke Suzuki,Takuo Fujisawa,Masao Yagi,Hiroshi Imai +7 more
TL;DR: In this article , the authors reviewed the number of head and neck cancer first-visit patients between 2017-2019 and 2020 at Kansai Medical University Hospital, and compared disease stage distribution of the patients, stage at first visit, and initial treatment strategy between 2017 -19 and 2020.
References
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