Psycho-Oncological Care Provision in Highly Distressed Breast Cancer Patients

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Psychology
• Healthcare Services Research

Background:

• Breast cancer (BC) patients frequently experience psychological distress and comorbidities.
• Understanding the patterns of psychological support offer and utilization is vital for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of psychological distress in BC patients.
• To evaluate the provision and uptake of psychological support across different distress levels.
• To examine the association between disease trajectory (acute, emerging, chronic) and psychological support.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal evaluation of 456 BC patients from diagnosis up to 5 years.
• Logistic regression to analyze the offer and use of psychological support based on distress levels.
• Regression analyses to explore links between disease status and psychotherapy/psychotropic drug use.

Main Results:

• Psychological distress was detected in 45% of BC patients at 5-year follow-up.
• A majority of patients with moderate/severe distress received offers for psychological services (77% at baseline, 71% at 5 years).
• Patients with distress were more likely to use offered services; acute comorbidity patients received more psychotherapy offers.

Conclusions:

• Psychological services are offered and used by a considerable number of BC patients.
• There's a need to address all BC patient subgroups to enhance comprehensive psychological support.
• Targeted interventions may be necessary for patients with emerging or chronic disease trajectories.