EVALUATING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS RECEIVING MULTIMODAL TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER

Abstract

Background: The second most frequent cancer in women is breast cancer. Due to cosmetic damage and mortality risk, breast cancer patients feel extreme anxiety and sadness. The emphasis on treating the physical symptoms of breast cancer often results in partial attention to the psychological discomfort and the reasons contributing to it in cancer patients. Aims & Objectives: To study the prevalence of anxiety and depression in women undergoing breast cancer treatment in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: 186 women diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing multimodality treatment were identified and included in this prospective study to assess the factors leading to anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The characteristics that may be linked to the symptoms of anxiety and depression were evaluated using items that assessed socio-demographics, symptom load, social support, disease and treatment history, along with evaluation of medical records.
Results: 67.2% of study participants were above 40 years and among all the study subjects 55.9% were suffering from stage III breast cancer. Anxiety was seen in 81.2% patients and depression in 79.3% of study population. The recommended cut off for depression/anxiety screening on the HADS Depression subscale was 8 for 12 (6.45%) of the women, and for the anxiety subscale, it was 28 (15%) of the women. Greater physical symptom scores were substantially correlated with greater anxiety levels.
Conclusion: Anxiety was more common psychological symptom seen in breast cancer patients in our study next to depression. Along with multimodality treatment for physical symptoms of breast cancer, psychiatric evaluation and regular counselling can alleviate anxiety, fear and depression in breast cancer patients.