Exploring U.K. cancer doctors’ attitudes toward psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cancer-related distress

Abstract

Background A diagnosis of cancer is often associated with significant psychological distress. Current approaches to cancer-related distress predominantly fall short of meeting the needs of patients. Recent investigations have shown that administering psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy might be effective at reducing distress in cancer patients. Oncologists are often ‘gatekeepers’, who oversee cancer patient care; if this intervention were to become more routinely available, it is important to understand doctors’ attitudes toward psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Method Nine oncologists who worked across two National Health Service Trusts in England were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews and guide the development of overarching themes and subthemes. Results The analysis revealed five overarching themes relating to oncologists’ experiences of cancer-related distress and attitudes towards psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy: current approaches to distress; attitudes towards psychedelics and psilocybin; quality research; service design and delivery; distress and patients from different backgrounds. Limitations: Future research should aim to explore the experiences and attitudes of other professionals, such as specialist cancer nurses, who are more likely to broach the subject of distress with cancer patients. Conclusions Oncologists are open to novel interventions for supporting patients experiencing cancer-related psychological distress. Future research should aim to address their concerns regarding the safety and potential interactions of psilocybin with anticancer treatments and should stratify trials with different patient groups, owing to the idiosyncratic nature of specific types of cancer.