Presence of Symptom Distress and Prostate Cancer-Related Anxiety in Patients at the Beginning of Cancer Rehabilitation

Abstract

Background: A growing body of research points towards a substantial number of prostate cancer patients experiencing distress and anxiety. This study examines the frequency and character of cancer- and treatment-related problems and its association with symptom distress and prostate cancer-related anxiety in patients at the beginning of an oncological rehabilitation programm. Patients and Methods: 197 prostate cancer patients who had undergone prostatectomy (92.5% participation rate) completed the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC), the NCCN Distress Thermometer and EORTC QLQ-C30 subscales emotional function and global quality of life. Results: 88% of patients report cancer- or treatment-related problems with a mean of 5 problems, and 104 patients (53%) experience distress and/or prostate cancer-related anxiety. The most prevalent symptoms are changes in urination, sexual problems, difficulties getting around, pain, fatigue and sleep problems. Emotional problems such as nervousness, worries, fears and sadnessness are prevalent in at least 53% of patients. Patients with distress and anxiety are confronted with a higher number and a wider range of problems and experience significantly lower levels of quality of life. Conclusion: Findings emphasize the role of cancer rehabilitation and underline the importance of psychosocial screening measures and the provision of psychosocial support in prostate cancer patients.

A Biobehavioral Model for the Study of Exercise Interventions in Cancer-related Fatigue

“…Many cancer patients experience psychological distress, particularly during treatment (Mehnert et al, 2007;Romito et al, 2007;Sabbioni, Bovbjerg, Jacobsen, Manne, & Redd, 1992;Zabora, BrintzenhofeSzoc, Curbow, Hooker, & Piantadosi, 2001). Psychological distress has negative consequences on morbidity and mortality in persons with cancer (Groenvold et al, 2007).…”

Determinants and implications of cancer patients’ psychosocial needs

“…An extensive body of work has investigated depression and anxiety as major psychological side effects of cancer diagnosis and treatment [10,24,26,29,32,44,50,52]. However, psychological distress cannot explain much of the variance of the need for psychosocial support, i.e.…”

Der Patient nach radikaler Prostatektomie

“…Lö-sung einer Reihe von medizinischen, psychologischen, sozialen, sozial-rechtlichen und edukativen Fragen und Aufgaben, um die berechtigten Erwartungen des urologischen Patienten an eine möglichst umfassende Genesung, der Wiederherstellung der physischen und psychischen Verfassung, zu erfüllen [17,18]. Die Rehabilitation in Form einer Abschlussrehabilitation schließt sich direkt an die vorangegangene Diagnostik und Therapie des Prostatakarzinoms an und soll diesem hohen Anspruch gerecht werden.…”

“…Auch die psychische Verfassung, die bei vielen Patienten durch die Tumordiagnose und -therapie beeinträchtigt ist [17], wurde durch die stationäre Rehabilitationsmaßnahme mit den dargestellten Inhalten signifikant verbessert. Dies belegt sowohl die Auswertung des MDBFFragebogens (objektiv) als auch die direkte Rehabilitandenbefragung (subjektiv).…”