Association between psychological distress and cancer type in patients referred to a psycho-oncology service

Lavelle, C.; Ismail, Muhammad Fahmi; Doherty, Kieran; Bowler, A.; Mohamad, M. M.; Cassidy, Eugene M.

Association between psychological distress and cancer type in patients referred to a psycho-oncology service

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Association between psychological distress and cancer type.pdf(85.79 KB)

Published Version

Date

2017-06

Authors

Lavelle, C.

Ismail, Muhammad Fahmi

Doherty, Kieran

Bowler, A.

Mohamad, M. M.

Cassidy, Eugene M.

Publisher

Irish Medical Organisation

Published Version

10147/621506

Abstract

Psychological distress is common in patients with cancer and psychological well-being is increasingly seen as an important component of cancer care. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between cancer type and subjective distress. The following data were collected from a database of consecutive psycho-oncology referrals to the Liaison Psychiatry service in Cork University Hospital from 2006 to 2015: demographics, cancer diagnosis, Distress Thermometer (DT) score. 2102 out of 2384 referrals were assessed. Of those assessed, the most common cancer diagnoses were breast (23%, n=486) followed by haematological (21%, n=445). There were significant difference in DT score between the different cancer types, (χ2(13)=33.685, p=0.001, Kruskal–Wallis test). When adjusted for age, gender and whether or not the cancer was recently diagnosed, there was no significant association between cancer type and psychological distress. In conclusion, cancer type is not associated with level of distress in cancer.

Keywords

Cancer , Psychosocial factors

Citation

Lavelle, C., Ismail, M., Doherty, K., Bowler, A., Mohamad, M. and Cassidy, E. (2017) ‘Association between psychological distress and cancer type in patients referred to a psycho-oncology service’, Irish Medical Journal, 110(6), 579 (8pp). doi:10147/621506