ObjectivePost‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychiatric disorder, which might develop after a traumatic event, like cancer diagnosis, and threatens the patient's psychological and/or physiological integrity. Anxiety, depression, and mental distress are known to be common in cancer patients; however, the frequency of PTSD was not investigated thoroughly in this patient group so far. Here, we aim to screen cancer patients for PTSD symptoms and determine a possible correlation with anxiety, depression, and distress.MethodsThe study was performed at the Divisions of Hematology and Oncology of the Medical University of Vienna from 2010 to 2018. Following written consent, patients were asked to fill out the validated self‐assessment questionnaire for PTSS‐10 and HADS. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee of the Medical University of Vienna (EC Nr: 2255/2016).ResultsA total of 1017 adult cancer patients (513 male, 504 female) were included in a cross‐sectional single‐center study. Mean age was 57.6 years (SD 14.4 years); 31.7%, 14.6%, 13.2%, and 27.4% of patients outscored the predefined thresholds for self‐assessed cases of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and distress, respectively. Compared with men, women showed a higher prevalence of symptoms for PTSD (38.9% vs 24.5%; P < .001) and anxiety (20.4% vs 8.6%; P < .001). The scores of HADS‐A, HADS‐D, and the combined HADS score (distress) were significantly correlated with PTSS‐10 scores (P < .01). No differences in age were observed among the different score groups.ConclusionThe study shows a significant prevalence as well as a correlation of PTSD symptoms with anxiety, depression, and distress among cancer patients. Findings underscore the necessity of a serious screening for psychiatric disorders, especially in female patients. In order to enable multidisciplinary care for cancer patients and to reduce the burden for psychiatric disorders, interdisciplinary screening and treatment concepts, which take into account gender aspects, are urged.

Objective Pain depicts a severe physical symptom but its relationship to mental health problems is not well studied in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pain and its correlation with symptoms of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety and psychological distress in a large sample of cancer patients. Methods From 2010 to 2019, cancer patients who received outpatient treatment at the Medical University of Vienna were assessed with the Post‐Traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSS‐10) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales. A visual analogue scale was used to assess pain perception. For statistical analysis, linear regression models were applied to log‐transformed data. Results Of the 846 cancer patients included in the study, 63.5% experienced pain (mild 43.5%, moderate 13.6%, severe 6.4%). About a third (31.2%) of the total sample presented with significant PTSD symptoms. Significant symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress were present in 13.9%, 15.1% and 25.3%, respectively. Women more often reported symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and distress. Pain scores were significantly related to symptoms of PTSD, depression and psychological distress (all with p < .001), but not to anxiety. Conclusions Results show a high prevalence of experienced pain and indicate a clear association of elevated pain levels with psychiatric symptoms in oncological patients in a large Austrian sample. In order to decrease experienced pain and to enable better treatment of mental health problems in cancer patients, diagnostic procedures and interventions based on a biopsychosocial model need to be intensified.

Aims Cancer patients often present with psychological symptoms that affect their quality of life, physical health outcomes and survival. Two of the most frequent psychiatric comorbidities are anxiety and depression. However, the prevalence of these disorders among cancer patients remains unclear, as studies frequently report varying rates. In the present study, we aimed to provide robust point estimates for the prevalence of anxiety and depression for both a mixed cancer sample and for 13 cancer types separately, considering confounding variables. Methods In a sample of 7509 cancer outpatients (51.4% female), we used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess rates of anxiety and depression. Applying ordinal logistic regression models, we compared the prevalence of anxiety and depression between different cancer types, controlling for age and gender. Results About one third of our sample showed symptoms of anxiety (35.2%) or depression (27.9%), and every sixth patient had a very likely psychiatric condition, with women being more frequently affected. Elderly patients more often showed signs of depression. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was significantly higher in lung and brain cancer patients, than in other cancer patients. Lowest depression rates were found in breast cancer patients. Conclusions The prevalence of anxiety and depression is high in cancer patients. Type of cancer is an important predictor for anxiety and depressive symptoms, with lung and brain cancer patients being highly burdened. Considering a personalised medicine approach, physicians should take into account the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities and include psychiatric consultations in the treatment plan.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether (1) psychological and social indicators influence survival in patients diagnosed with cancer or haematologic malignancies when important biological aspects are controlled for, (2) psychological, social and biological indicators can be utilised to design one collated index for survival, usable in clinical practice to identify patients at risk of shorter survival and to improve personalised healthcare provision.

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