Psychological impact of BRAF mutational status in advanced melanoma patients

The aim of the study was to highlight the psychological aspects involved in patients with advanced melanoma and to describe the differences between subjects who are positive and negative for the BRAFv600e genetic mutation, a variable that leads to a different medical approach to cancer therapy. The hypothesis is that following knowledge of the genetic mutation and the therapeutic possibilities inherent to it, mutation positive patients (BRAF+) exhibit fewer negative psychological reactions than negative patients (BRAF-) at the time of diagnosis.

The tests used (SF-12, MHQ) were administered at the time of diagnosis and after three months.

The main findings suggest a greater impairment of quality of life at T1 than at T0, regardless of the mutation; BRAF mutated patients show more favorable scores at diagnosis and a reversal of the trend at three months after diagnosis.

The results obtained, in line with the literature under review, show a significant general psychological distress in the present oncological sample, suggesting the importance of a psychological, as well as medical, care of the patient and the family.