Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Dinapoli, Loredana
• Chiesa, Silvia
• Dinapoli, Nicola
• Gatta, Roberto
• Beghella Bartoli, Francesco
• Bracci, Serena
• Mazzarella, Ciro
• Sanfilippo, Maria Zoe
• Sabatino, Giovanni
• Gaudino, Simona
• Della Pepa, Giuseppe Maria
• Frascino, Vincenzo
• Valentini, Vincenzo
• Balducci, Mario

Titel

Personalised support of brain tumour patients during radiotherapy based on psychological profile and quality of life

Ist Teil von

• Supportive care in cancer, 2021-08, Vol.29 (8), p.4555-4563

Ort / Verlag

Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Purpose Psychological distress in primary malignant brain tumour (PMBT) patients is associated with poorer outcomes. Radiotherapy (RT) often induces side effects that significantly influence patients’ quality of life (QoL), with potential impact on survival. We evaluated distress, anxiety, depression, and QoL over time to identify patients with difficulties in these areas who required more intense psychological support. Methods Psychological questionnaires—Distress Thermometer (DT), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G and FACT-Br)—were completed at the beginning (T0), in the middle (T1), directly after RT (T2), and 3 months after RT (T3). We personalised the psychological support provided for each patient with a minimum of three sessions (‘typical’ schedule) and a maximum of eight sessions (‘intensive’ schedule), depending on the patients’ psychological profiles, clinical evaluations, and requests. Patients’ survival was evaluated in the glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients, with an explorative intent. Results Fifty-nine consecutive PMBT patients receiving post-operative RT were included. For patients who were reported as ‘not distressed’ at T0, no statistically significant changes were noted. In contrast, patients who were ‘distressed’ at T0 showed statistically significant improvements in DT, HADS, FACT-G, and FACT-Br scores over time. ‘Not distressed’ patients required less psychological sessions over the study duration than ‘distressed’ patients. Interestingly, ‘not distressed’ GBM patients survived longer than ‘distressed’ GBM patients. Conclusions Increased psychological support improved distress, mood, and QoL for patients identified as ‘distressed’, whereas psychological well-being was maintained with typical psychological support in patients who were identified as being ‘not distressed’. These results encourage a standardisation of psychological support for all RT patients.