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Course of distress, anxiety, and depression in hematological cancer patients: Association between gender and grade of neoplasm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2013

Cristiane Decat Bergerot*
Affiliation:
Psycho-Oncology Services, Centro de Câncer de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
Karen Lynn Clark
Affiliation:
Department of Supportive Care Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, California
Alexandre Nonino
Affiliation:
Medical Onco-Hematology Services, Centro de Câncer de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
Sarah Waliany
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Oncology, City of Hope, Duarte, California
Marco Murilo Buso
Affiliation:
Medical Oncology Services, Centro de Câncer de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
Matthew Loscalzo
Affiliation:
Department of Supportive Care Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, California
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Cristiane Decat Bergerot, SMH/N Quadra 02 Bloco A – Ed. de Clínicas – 12° andar, 70710-904, Brasília, DF, Brazil. E-mail: crisdecat@yahoo.com.br

Abstract

Objective:

The aim of our study was to explore the impact of gender and hematological cancer grade on distress, anxiety, and depression in patients receiving chemotherapy.

Methods:

A prospective study was done in a cohort of 104 patients with hematological cancer. We employed the (1) Distress Thermometer (DT) and the Problem List (PL) and (2) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for assessments at baseline (T1), the halfway timepoint (T2), and completion of chemotherapy (T3).

Results:

The proportion of patients experiencing significant distress (DT ≥ 4) decreased from the first to the last timepoint; the proportion experiencing anxiety and depression (as assessed by HADS) also decreased. Specifically, 50% of participants reported significant distress levels, 47.1% anxiety, and 26% depression at T1. At T2, the proportion of patients experiencing distress was reduced by 60.8%, by 76% for anxiety, and by 48.5% for depression; at T3, the reduction was close to 80% for all assessments compared with T1. Emotional and physical problems were most commonly reported. Significant reductions were discovered for distress and problem-related distress levels over time, and a significant interaction was found between gender and practical and physical problems (p < 0.05).

Significance of results:

Our findings suggest that female patients reported more distress, anxiety, and depression than male patients. Gender differences were related to problem-related distress but not to grade of neoplasm. We observed that, over the course of chemotherapy, the distress levels of patients with hematological cancer decrease over time.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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