Vnitr Lek 2020, 66(3):e28-e37 | DOI: 10.36290/vnl.2020.056

Overview of psychological problems accompanying cancer

Jeroným Klimeš¹, Zdeněk Adam², Zdeněk Boleloucký³, Luděk Pour²

¹ Soukromá psychologická ambulance - PhDr. Mgr. Jeroným Klimeš, Ph.D., Praha 9 - Újezd nad Lesy

² Interní hematologická a onkologická klinika LF MU a FN Brno, pracoviště Bohunice

³ Oddělení psychiatrie a psychoterapie Svitavské nemocnice, Svitavy

In recent years, dramatic advances in early detection and treatment options have increased the overall survival rates in patients of all ages with cancer and malignant hematologic diseases. At the same time, these improved treatment options are also associated with substantial long-term side effects, such as fatigue, pain, anxiety, and depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, that interfere with patients' ability to perform daily activities. Furthermore, patients with cancer may have preexisting psychologic or psychiatric conditions that affect their ability to cope with cancer. Survivors of cancer are about twice as likely to report medication use for anxiety and depression as adults who do not have a personal history of cancer. Depression is also common in in all cancer diseases and is often associated with a poor prognosis. The inspiration for this text was the recent version of Distress Management, Version 3.2019, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology, which emphasis the needs to implement the integration of psychosocial care into clinical cancer care. Based on this recommendation all psychical consequences of cancer are described in this text. And it depends on the oncologists or haematologists, if he can help patients to solve his psychical problems, or if he refers the patient to psychologist or psychiatrist.

Keywords: cancer, anxiety, depression, fatigue, posttraumatic stress disorder, unmet needs.

Published: May 26, 2020  Show citation