Cancer and psychosocial distress: frequent companions

Abstract

Recently, L Carlson and colleagues 1 Carlson LE Angen M Cullum J et al. High level of untreated distress and fatigue in cancer patients. Br J Cancer. 2004; 90: 2297-2304 Crossref PubMed Scopus (686) Google Scholar reported on the high occurrence of psychosocial distress in cancer patients. They did a cross-sectional study with questionnaires in a tertiary hospital setting. Although this study was done in Canada, similar results would probably be obtained in most countries in the western world. All cancer patients older than 18 years who visited the hospital over a 1-month period for any reason were eligible for study. 90% of these patients (n=2776) completed the questionnaires. Most of these patients had breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer. Based on the brief symptom inventory-18 (BSI-18) scores, more than 37% of patients were judged to be in serious psychological distress. Overall, somatisation was most common, followed by depression and anxiety. Psychological distress was more typical in younger patients, women, and those from ethnic minorities, from households with lower income, and those with a longer duration of illness. About 30% of patients were unaware of the possibilities for psychosocial support; 44% of patients who refused psychosocial support did not feel the need for any help.