Patients' reactions to completion of adjuvant breast cancer therapy

Thirty-eight women with breast cancer were studied to determine the psychological distress they experienced at the completion of adjuvant treatment. Measures were completed at the start of adjuvant chemotherapy, one week after chemotherapy was completed, and following completion of radiotherapy. Approximately 30% of the women reported the termination of treatment was upsetting. For the group as a whole, depression scores decreased significantly from the first to the last measurement. Those who were most upset by termination of treatment had been more depressed since the onset of treatment, tended to view their illness as chronic rather than acute, and had more side effects during their last cycle of chemotherapy. Some women stated they were upset by the termination of treatment per se, but many other problems were reported including side effects that had continued after treatment ended.