The benefits of psychosocial interventions for cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

Abstract

BackgroundMany patients with cancer experience depression and anxiety, and an associated decrease in quality of life (QOL) during radiation therapy (RT). The main objective of the study was to determine the benefits of psychosocial interventions for cancer patients who received RT.MethodsPatients with cancer (n = 178) who agreed to participate in the study were randomized to the intervention arm (n = 89) or the control arm (n = 89). Patients in the intervention group received psychosocial care during RT, whereas the control group received RT only. The benefits of the intervention were evaluated using the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) to measure depression, the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) to assess anxiety, and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) to survey health-related QOL. The association between intervention and survival was also assessed.ResultsPatients randomly assigned to the intervention arm showed significant improvements on symptoms of depression (p < 0.05) and anxiety (p < 0.05), health-related QOL (p < 0.05) (i.e. better global health status, and physical and emotional functioning, and less insomnia) when compared with controls. In the subset analysis, female patients, those that received high dose irradiation, and those that underwent adjuvant chemotherapy could benefit more from psychosocial intervention. There was no difference between the two groups in disease-free survival (DFS) (2-year DFS 79.8% in the intervention arm and 76.4% in the control arm; p = 0.527) and overall survival (OS) (2-year OS 83.1% in the intervention arm and 84.3% in the control arm; p = 0.925)ConclusionsPsychosocial intervention is a cost-effective approach that can improve a patient’s mood and QOL both during and after RT. However, the intervention was not found to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and death.Trial registrationChiCTR-TRC-12002438

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“…Still others adopted eclectic approaches involving psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and supportive expressive therapy for patients receiving radiotherapy. 10 Depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life improved in the experimental groups, particularly for female patients receiving a high dose of radiotherapy and who had previously received adjuvant chemotherapy. Although they have exhibited no proven effect on survivorship, the few interventions for patients undergoing radiotherapy epitomize the psychosocial needs of this cohort.…”

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“…Educating patients about their disease, its treatment, potential side effects, and qol can reduce anxiety 8 , enhance coping mechanisms 9 , reduce decisional conflicts, promote patient autonomy, and improve the patient experience 10 . Patients who understand their disease and its treatment also comply better with therapy 11 , which translates into better outcomes.…”