Piroth et al. recently published an article titled “Anxiety and depression in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy: the role of intelligence, life history, and social support—preliminary results from a monocentric analysis.” In this paper, the researchers aimed to identify cognitive, health-related, and social factors that may enhance or reduce the emergence of anxiety and depression.
The researchers used a longitudinal study design with 25 women with a first diagnosis of nonmetastatic breast cancer, to assess measures of anxiety, depression, situational emotional states, intelligence, and aspects of social frameworks, before, during, and after breast radiotherapy. To assess the course of anxiety and depressive symptoms across the radiotherapy intervention, the researchers constructed standard and self-constructed questionnaires at 4 time-points.
The results showed that anxiety is the highest immediately before the start of radiation therapy. On the day that therapy was completed anxiety was the lowest. In patients who have. History of chronic diseases at all time points, anxiety and depression were enhanced. Women with high intelligence and low social support had stronger symptoms of depression than women with low intelligence and high levels of social support. Intelligence and social support were not associated with the degree of anxiety.
The researchers concluded that this is the first study correlating cognitive and social variables and anxiety and depression in patients with breast cancer over the course of radiotherapy. Clinical procedures could be optimized with this knowledge of the disease, and the symptoms of anxiety and depression could be minimized.
Reference:
Piroth MD, Draia S, Jawad JA, Piefke M. Anxiety and depression in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy: the role of intelligence, life history, and social support-preliminary results from a monocentric analysis [published online ahead of print, 2022 Mar 3]. Strahlenther Onkol. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-022-01904-7
Source: Strahlenther Onkol