[Psychooncological interventions - what do cancer patients aged 60 years or older wish for?]

Screening for distress, related problems and perceived need for psycho-oncological support in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients: a retrospective cohort study

Background

In different cancer entities, several studies have shown the adverse effects of cancer on mental health, psychological well-being and the increased risk of high emotional distress in cancer patients. This study aims to analyze psychosocial distress levels and their relationship between sociodemographic parameters and selected items on the Distress Thermometer (DT) Problem List in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.

Patients and methods

We assessed a total of 120 HNSCC patients using the Distress Thermometer (DT) Problem List. Distress scores (DTS) of 90 patients were available. A DTS of ≥ 5 on the visual analogue scale represents clinically relevant distress. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, comparison of mean values for different DTS subcategories and correlation between DTS scores and parameters of tumor classification, sociodemographic variables and selected problems.

Results

Distress was present in 57.7% of the sample, with a total of 52 patients with a DTS  ≥ 5. The mean DTS was 4.7 (SD 2.4). Patients with newly diagnosed HNSCC had significantly higher DTS. Distress levels were significantly associated with sadness, general worries, anxiety, nervousness, sleeping disorders, mouth sores and fever. Out of the total sample, 6 patients and out of these 6 individuals, 5 patients with a DTS ≥ 5 requested referrals to psycho-oncological service.

Conclusion

High distress levels were common in HNSCC patients but only few patients desired psycho-oncological care. Addressing patients’ supportive care needs in routine clinical practice is essential to meet unmet needs of HNSCC patients and thus improve cancer care.

Improvement of well-being in cancer patients by yoga training

Background: Cancer patients frequently suffer from a reduced physical activity. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as yoga, provide opportunities to deal with these symptoms. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of yoga on the well-being of cancer patients.Methods: Between 2015 and 2017, we analyzed the effects of yoga on the well-being of cancer patients. Fifty-one patients received yoga training specifically designed to address cancer-related problems. Before the start (SoS) and after the end (EoS) of training, the WHO-5 well-being index was used to evaluate patients’ perception.Results: WHO-5 scores significantly improved from 47.1±21.4 at SoS to 69.7±15.1 at EoS. Patients in the middle age group (EoS–SoS: 28.0±20.6) showed a significantly higher benefit (p<0.005) compared with age groups <40 years (EoS–SoS: 10.7±15.4) and >60 years (EoS–SoS: 16.0±12.1). Patients with low initial scores benefited most from yoga.Conclusion: Our study showed that yoga training under experienced supervision could serve as a beneficial complementary treatment in cancer patients. Best effects were observed in patients with highly reduced well-being and 40–60-year-old patients.