Routine screening for psychosocial distress following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Psychosocial Oncology
• Transplantation Medicine

Background:

• Cancer diagnosis and treatment frequently cause significant psychosocial distress.
• This distress is often overlooked in routine oncologic care, particularly following complex procedures like stem cell transplantation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of screening for psychosocial distress in adult patients undergoing autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
• To identify the prevalence of psychosocial distress and its association with quality of life (QOL) in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 80 adult patients in Boston, MA.
• Self-administered assessments were used to measure psychosocial distress and QOL at three time points: pre-transplant, post-discharge, and 100 days post-transplant.

Main Results:

• Pre-transplant, 55% of patients reported elevated anxiety and/or depression, linked to lower QOL.
• Post-transplant screening was feasible in 69% of patients, with 44% exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Pre-transplant distress was a strong predictor of post-transplant distress (81% vs. 13%, P<0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Self-administered tools can effectively detect high levels of distress in stem cell transplant patients.
• Pre-transplant psychosocial distress is a significant predictor of post-transplant distress.
• Screening for pre-transplant distress is a feasible strategy for targeting interventions in transplant recipients.