Assessment of anxiety and depression and selected psychosocial variables in cancer patients

Assessment of anxiety-depressive disorders in an oncologically ill patient may help in the treatment process and planning psycho-oncological care. The aim of the study was to assess the level of anxiety and depression and selected psychosocial variables in cancer patients.

The study group consisted of cancer patients eligible for causal treatment for at least 6 weeks. The HADS questionnaire was used to examine 537 patients aged 19 to 91 (average age: 53.5).

Both during the first oncological treatment and in the relapse of the disease, patients more often show symptoms of anxiety than depression. These conditions occur with greater intensity in women than in men (p=0.000), moreover, the risk of depressive disorders increases with the patient's age (p=0.015). The highest intensity of symptoms of depression was observed in patients living in the countryside and in people on disability or retirement pension, and the lowest in small and medium-sized towns and in people who were economically active or on short sick leave. On the other hand, the simultaneous occurrence of anxiety and depression was distinctive for the patients with breast and reproductive organs cancers, which were least frequently reported by patients with urinary tract cancers.

Tools for screening the risk of depression and anxiety disorders should be used routinely during regular medical consultations in a patient with cancer. This will allow for early detection of symptoms and initiation of therapeutic measures.