Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on fear of cancer recurrence and its underlying neuromechanism.

Introduction: Many breast cancer patients suffer from fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). However, effective physical intervention for FCR has been scarce. Previous studies have confirmed that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can help improve patients' anxiety, depression, fear, and stress level. Therefore, this study aims to assess the efficacy of rTMS in the treatment of FCR in breast cancer patients and explore its underlying neural mechanism. Methods and analysis: and analysis: Fifty breast cancer patients with high FCR (FCR total score >27), and fifty age- and gender-matched patients with low FCR (FCR total score <7) will be recruited to participate in this study. Patients in the high FCR group will be randomly assigned to receive 4-week low-frequency rTMS targeting the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) + treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 25), or to receive sham stimulation + TAU (n = 25). Patients in the low FCR group will only receive TAU. All participants will take a baseline fMRI scan to examine the local activities and interactions of brain activity between the prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), amygdala and hippocampus. Fear of Cancer Recurrence Questionnaire (FCRQ7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), Generalize Anxiety Disorder (GAD7), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI7) will be used to measure an individual's FCR, depression, anxiety, pain, and insomnia symptoms at week 0 (baseline), week 4 (the end of intervention), week 5 (1 week post-treatment), week 8 (1 month post-treatment), and week 16 (3 months post-treatment). Participants in the high FCR group will receive a post-treatment fMRI scan within 24 h after intervention to explore the neural mechanisms of rTMS treatment. The primary outcome of the study, whether the rTMS intervention is sufficient in relieving FCR in breast cancer patients, is measured by FCRQ7. Additionally, task activation, local activity and functional connectivity of the DLPFC, amygdala and hippocampus will be compared, between high and low FCR group, and before and after treatment. Discussion: Studies have shown that low-frequency rTMS can be used to treat patient's FCR. However, there is a lack of relevant evidence to support the efficacy of rTMS on FCR in cancer patients, and the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of rTMS on FCR need to be further investigated. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval for the study has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (reference number: KY-N-2022-136-01). The results of the investigation will be published in scientific papers. The data from the investigation will be made available online if necessary. Trial registration: NCT05881889 (ClinicalTrials.gov). Date of registration: May 31, 2023.

Group-based trajectory and predictors of anxiety and depression among Chinese breast cancer patients.

Background: The aim of the current study is to investigate the change in anxiety and depression amongst Chinese breast cancer patients and to identify causal associations between baseline variables and the trajectory of anxiety and depression within this identified group. Methods: This is a longitudinal prospective study. Three hundred women with breast cancer were recruited. Patient's depression and anxiety were repeatedly measured by PHQ-9 and GAD-7 at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months after discharge. The SAS 9.4 PROC Traj procedure was used to examine the group-based trajectory of these recruited patients. Linear mixed models (LMM) were utilized to examine anxiety/depression changes over time, accounting for relevant baseline demographic and clinical factors. Results: About 26.3% of the participants reported none or very mild anxiety over time, 60.7% reported stable low-level anxiety, and the remaining 13.0% showed significantly decreasing trend in GAD total scores. Meanwhile, 10.7% of the participants reported none or very mild depressive symptoms over time, 66.0% reported stable PHQ total scores throughout the research period, and 23.3% were classified as the "high level-decreasing group". Patients reported significantly higher anxiety and depression scores in the first three assessments. Participants with no or mild life stress along with a positive personality tended to report lower anxiety and depression scores over time. Conclusion: Most of the breast cancer patients reported stable low-level anxiety and depression 18 months after discharge. Early assessment of optimism and stress levels among cancer patients might help identify people at risk of experiencing long-term anxiety and depression.

Alleviating Excessive Worries Improves Co-Occurring Depression and Pain in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients: A Network Approach.

Objective: Anxiety, depression, and pain are highly interactive with each other in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. This study aims to map out the connectivity between anxiety, depression and pain symptoms amongst Chinese AYA cancer patients from the perspective of a network model. Methods: Two hundred and eighteen AYA patients, aged between 15 and 39 years at diagnosis; completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and McGill Pain Questionnaire-Visual Analogue Scale (MPQ-VAS). Network analyses were performed. Results: In all, 38.07% (95% CI = 31.58-44.57%) of the participants reported depression, 30.73% (95% CI = 24.56-36.91%) reported anxiety, and 14.22% (95% CI = 9.55-18.89%) reported current pain. The generated network illustrated that anxiety, depression and pain community were well connected. In the network, "having trouble relaxing" (GAD4, node strength = 1.182), "uncontrollable worry" (GAD2, node strength = 1.165), and "sad mood" (PHQ2, node strength = 1.144) were identified as the most central symptoms, while "uncontrollable worry" (GAD2, bridge strength = 0.645), "guilty" (PHQ6, bridge strength = 0.545), and "restlessness" (GAD5, bridge strength = 0.414) were the key bridging symptoms that connected different communities. Conclusion: Anxiety, depression and pain symptoms are highly interactive with each other. Alleviating AYA cancer patient's excessive worries might be helpful in improving the patient's co-occurring anxiety, depression and pain symptoms.

Network connectivity between fear of cancer recurrence, anxiety, and depression in breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), anxiety, and depression are common psychological disturbances that frequently occur together among cancer patients. This study investigated network connectivity between FCR, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in a large representative sample of breast cancer patients. METHODS: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study of 803 women with breast cancer. All participants completed the 4-item FCR scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Network analysis was conducted to investigate the network structure, central symptoms, bridge symptoms, and network stability of these disturbances. RESULTS: The generated network model indicated that anxiety and depression symptom communities were well-connected with each other, while FCR emerged as a distinct cluster with only a few weak links to anxiety and depression communities. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were more central than FCR symptoms were in the model. 'Having trouble relaxing' (#GAD4, strength = 1.147) was the most central node within the whole network, and 'strong feelings about recurrence' (#FCR4, strength = 0.531) was the least central node. Several anxiety symptoms (e.g., 'feeling afraid', 'uncontrollable worry', and 'restlessness') acted as important bridging symptoms connecting FCR, depression and anxiety communities. 'Uncontrollable worry' (#GAD2) had the highest node-specific predictive betweenness value. The network stability of this model was high. CONCLUSION: Depression and anxiety symptoms are highly interactive with each other among women with breast cancer. Conversely, FCR may have attenuated relations with anxiety and depression communities and emerged as a relatively independent, unique experience. Anxiety symptoms, particularly 'uncontrollable worry', acted as important trans-diagnostic symptoms that connected different communities. Findings suggested interventions to alleviate excessive worries and enhance feelings of personal control might be helpful in preventing or reducing related symptoms of FCR, anxiety and depression.

Maternal and Paternal Depression During Pregnancy in China: Prevalence, Correlates, and Network Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a commonly seen mental health concern for mothers and fathers during their transition to parenthood. This study aims to provide new insights into the prevalence of maternal and paternal depression, its demographic and clinical correlates, and its symptom network among Chinese pregnant women and their partners. METHODS: In this multicenter, cross-sectional study, 769 pregnant women and their partners were assessed by Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) from June 15th to Sep 15th, 2020 in southern China. Convenient sampling method was used. Univariate analyses, multivariate logistic regression, and network analyses were conducted. Networks of maternal and paternal depression were compared. RESULTS: In total, 60 (EPDS total score ≥13, 7.80%, 95% CI: 5.90-9.70%) women and 23 (2.99%, 95% CI: 1.78-4.20%) of these women's partners reported depression. Physical comorbidities (OR=2.664, P=0.003) was the only factor that was found to significantly correlate with maternal depression. Network analyses showed that the resulting networks were well connected and that there was significant difference of network structure between maternal and paternal depression (M=0.330, P<0.001). Centrality plot indicated that "sad or miserable" (strength=1.097) was the most central symptom in the maternal depression network, while "scared or panicky" (strength=1.091) was the most central node in the paternal network. The edge between "things have been getting on top of me" - "able to laugh and see the funny side of things" (difference: 0.153, P=0.020), and "scared or panicky" - "the thought of harming myself" (difference: 0.084, P<0.001) was significantly stronger in women's partners than that in pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Maternal and paternal depression during pregnancy could result in significant negative consequences. Symptoms like "sad or miserable" and "scared or panicky" are critical and might be potential targets for further interventions. Evidence-based treatments, such as pharmacology, psychotherapy, community reinforcement and family training, might be beneficial for parents with depression during and after the pregnancy.

Mental Health Outcomes in Perinatal Women During the Remission Phase of COVID-19 in China.

BACKGROUND: Since the middle of March, the COVID-19 outbreak has been well contained in China. The prevention and control measures for the outbreak have been downgraded to a normalized level. However, until now, the change in level of psychological health amongst perinatal women during the remission phase of the COVID-19 outbreak has not been investigated in China. The aim of this current study was to assess the symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia and quality of life (QOL) in perinatal women and to identify potential risk factors associated with these symptoms. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, hospital-based survey conducted between March 25th till June 5th, 2020 in southern China. Convenient sampling method was adopted. Women's anxiety, depression, insomnia symptoms and QOL was examined through standardized measurements. Multivariate logistic regression and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted for the same. RESULTS: A total of 625 perinatal women completed the study; of them, 195 women (31.2%, 95%CI=27.56%-34.84%) reported anxiety, 120 (19.2%, 95%CI=16.10%-22.30%) reported depression, and 87 (13.9%, 95%CI=11.20%-16.64%) experienced symptoms of insomnia. Previous adverse experiences during pregnancy was a significant risk factor for anxiety (OR=1.628, 95%CI=1.069-2.480, P=0.023), depression (OR=1.853, 95%CI=1.153-2.977, P=0.011), and insomnia (OR=2.160, 95%CI=1.290-3.616, P=0.003). Participants having infected friends/families/colleagues were more likely to report anxiety (OR=2.195, 95%CI=1.245-3.871, P=0.007) and depression (OR=2.666, 95%CI=1.482-4.794, P=0.001). Those women whose regular check-ups were severely interrupted by the COVID-19 were also more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety (OR=2.935, 95%CI=1.701-5.062, P<0.001) and insomnia (OR=2.195, 95%CI=1.098-4.390, P=0.026). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic does affect the mental health and well being of perinatal women. Increased attention should be paid to women who have infected friends/families/colleagues and those with previous adverse experiences during pregnancy. Coping strategies that relieve psychological stress during the COVID-19 outbreak should be provided to prevent adverse outcomes for women and their infants.

Suicidal Ideation in Newly-Diagnosed Chinese Cancer Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is one of the main reasons cited behind the death rate of cancer, and suicidal ideation (SI) is the first step toward it. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associates of suicidal ideation in newly-diagnosed Chinese cancer patients. METHODS: This multicenter study was conducted from January 2018 to September 2019. Eligible participants were asked to complete a Case Record Form (CRF), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7), Fear of Cancer Recurrence Questionnaire (FCRQ-7), and McGill Pain Questionnaire-Visual Analogue Scale (MPQ-VAS). Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted for assessment. RESULTS: Out of 603 patients, 91 (15.1%, 95%CI: 12.23%-17.96%) reported suicidal ideation in the last 2 weeks. Physical comorbidities (OR=1.808, P=0.039), childhood adversity experience (OR=5.999, P=0.001), cancer pain (OR=1.828, P=0.047), depression (OR=2.811, P=0.013), and anxiety (OR=6.532, P<0.001) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. It was also found that patients who regularly exercised were less likely to report suicidal thoughts (OR=0.172, P=0.007). CONCLUSION: Physical comorbidities, body ache, and mood disturbances are possible risk factors for suicidal ideation that warrant further attention in clinical practice. Preventive measures, such as systematic screening and arrangement for regular check-ups, could be beneficial to lower the risk of suicide.

High Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Chinese Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is common among cancer patients and of high clinical relevance. This study explores the prevalence and correlates of FCR in Chinese newly diagnosed cancer population. METHODS: This is a multicentre, cross-sectional study that includes 996 patients with mixed cancer diagnosis. All recently diagnosed patients completed a questionnaire consisting of the following: Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), General Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Univariate analyses, multivariate logistic regression analyses, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to examine the association between tested variables and FCR. RESULTS: Of the 996 patients, 643 (64.6%) reported high FCR (scored ≥ 34 in the FoP-Q-SF). Chemotherapy (OR = 1.941), Childhood severe illness experience (OR = 2.802), depressive (OR = 1.153), and anxiety (OR = 1.249) symptoms were positively associated with high FCR, while higher monthly income (OR = 0.592) was negatively associated with high FCR. SEM indicated that emotional disturbances (anxiety and depression) directly influenced FCR, while emotional disturbances partly mediated the association between personal monthly income and FCR. CONCLUSION: High FCR is a frequently reported problem among newly diagnosed cancer patients. Various factors increased the likelihood of the development of FCR. Flexible psychological interventions are needed for patients with high FCR.

Fear of cancer recurrence, anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescent and young adult cancer patients.

Background: Previous studies have indicated that younger age is consistently associated with high levels of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), anxiety and depression. However, the associations among these variables in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients are not clear. This study explores the prevalence and correlates of FCR, anxiety and depressive symptoms in Chinese AYA cancer population. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that includes 249 patients aged between 15 and 39 yrs at the time of cancer diagnosis. Patient's sociodemographic, clinical as well as psychological characteristics were collected by an information sheet, the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), General Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results: Eighty-nine (35.74%) patients experienced dysfunctional level of FCR, eighty-two (32.93%) patients experienced anxiety symptoms and ninety-six (38.55%) reported depressive symptoms. In multivariate analyses, being single, pessimistic, having more concurrent stressful life events and physical comorbidity were independently associated with higher FCR, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Patients who were not engaging in radiotherapy were more likely to report higher anxiety level. Conclusion: FCR, anxiety and depressive symptoms are frequently reported problems among AYA cancer patients. Age-appropriate and flexible psychological interventions are needed for this high-risk population.

Effectiveness of pre-operative clown intervention on psychological distress: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: This study aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge available on the effectiveness of pre-operative clown intervention on psychological distress in children and parents. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Systematic review procedures were followed including a quality assessment. Meta-analysis of suitable studies was conducted. RESULTS: Eight studies were included; six reported that clown intervention reduced children's pre-operative anxiety, while one found that children's pre-operative distress levels were unchanged. Two studies suggested that clown therapy decreased parents' state anxiety, while three others found inconsistent results. No differences were found on parents' trait anxiety score. Meta-analysis of the available data confirmed that clown intervention has a great effect to reduce children's pre-operative distress (six articles, 341 children, Hedges' g = 0.867, 95% confidence intervals: 0.374-1.360, P = 0.001), and also had a small-to-medium effect on reducing parents' state anxiety (five articles, 329 parents, Hedges' g = 0.338, 95% confidence intervals: 0.112-0.564, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: While significant variability existed between studies, the meta-analysis confirmed the effectiveness of pre-operative clown therapy on reducing psychological distress in children and parents. Larger randomised controlled trails and cross-cultural studies should be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of clown therapy in greater detail.