[Coping in patients with malignant glioma in the course of radiation therapy]

Twenty-one patients with malignant glioma were interviewed in the course of radiation therapy (before start, in the middle and at the end of treatment and six weeks later). We used the "Freiburger Fragebogen zur Krankheitsverarbeitung (FKV)", an assessment of coping strategies, the "State-Trait-Anxiety-Inventory (STAI)", the "Beck-Depression-Scale (BDI)", and the QLQ-C 30 questionnaire of the EORTC.

The coping strategies of our patients are comparable with other cancer patients. They are mainly characterized by "self-encouragement", "compliance" and "trust in the treating physician". Anxiety was low and showed no significant changes. Depressivity was higher than in the normal population, however, it also showed no significant changes in the course of therapy. Quality of life scores remained constant, despite an increase of fatigue. In our patients with malignant glioma, the influence of radiation on coping, anxiety, depression and quality of life seems insignificant in comparison to that of the diagnosis of cancer.