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Updated: Oct 23, 2025

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Published on: July 3, 2014
Emotional Problems Prior to Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
Dirk Rades1, Carlos A Narvaez2, Liesa Dziggel2
1Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; dirk.rades@uksh.de.
Background/Aim:
Being scheduled for radiotherapy can cause emotional distress. This study aimed to identify risk factors in 338 patients assigned to radiotherapy for breast cancer.
Patients And Methods:
Nineteen potential risk factors including the COVID-19 pandemic were investigated for associations with the six emotional problems included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer.
Results:
Worry and fears were significantly associated with age ≤60 years; sadness with age and Karnofsky performance score (KPS) <90; depression with KPS and Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥3; loss of interest with KPS. Trends were found for associations between sadness and additional breast cancer/DCIS, Charlson Index and chemotherapy; between depression and additional breast cancer/DCIS, treatment volume and nodal stage N1-3; between nervousness and additional breast cancer/DCIS, mastectomy and triple-negativity; between loss of interest and Charlson Index, family history of breast cancer/DCIS, invasive cancer, chemotherapy, and treatment volume. The COVID-19 pandemic did not increase emotional problems.
Conclusion:
Several risk factors for emotional problems were identified. Patients with such factors should receive psychological support well before radiotherapy.
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