By: Jennifer Larson
From: oncologynurseadvisor.com
Learning more about the incidence and risk factors that contribute to psychological distress (PD) in women with breast cancer could help clinicians better identify those patients at greatest risk of experiencing PD, as well as aid in the development of targeted psycho-social interventions, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis recently published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.
Researchers evaluated 48 studies to determine incidence and risk factors for PD among adult female patients with breast cancer. The studies included in their evaluation used a distress thermometer (DT) as a screening tool to evaluate PD. The DT scores PD on a scale of 0 (“no PD”) to 10 (“extreme PD”), with a score of at least 4 points being considered clinically significant, per the NCCN Cancer Clinical Guidelines.
The prevalence of PD ranged from 11.2% to 86.7%. The overall prevalence of PD was 52%. The investigators found a higher degree of PD in newly diagnosed patients.
Forty risk factors were identified, but 10 were merged for the meta-analysis. The authors were able to identify several independent risk factors for PD, which included the following:
- higher education level
- late-stage tumor
- emotional concerns
- lack of medical insurance
- modified radical mastectomy
- history of depression.
Age and neuroticism were not associated with PD, and higher monthly income was protective against PD, reported study authors.
According to the researchers, the high prevalence of PD in women with breast cancer suggests a need to raise awareness among clinicians of potential psycho-social concerns that may arise in this patient population, including the associated risk factors of PD and how to address PD for better patient outcomes.
To aid in identifying patients at risk of PD, the authors of the meta-analysis suggested incorporating information about the identified risk factors into the initial patient screening, as well as in dynamic daily screenings. Additionally, the authors recommended that cancer treatment regimens could be supplemented with measures such as mindfulness meditation training and music therapy to help mitigate psycho-social distress in these patients.
“Understanding the risk and protective factors of PD can help healthcare personnel manage…PD …[in] female patients with breast cancer. Furthermore, these results can provide useful information for the development of a risk stratification algorithm…[which] could help identify women with a high risk of suffering PD, thus aiding in [its] accurate prediction and early intervention…,” the researchers concluded.
References
Tao L, Xiang Y, Zeng X, et al. Incidence and risk factors for psychological distress in adult female patients with breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2024;15:1309702. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1309702
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.