Therapeutic intervention in fear of cancer recurrence in adult oncology patients: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: The study aims to provide an updated overview of studies that show the impact of psychotherapeutic interventions on fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), to explore the relationship between FCR and related factors (psychological distress, well-being, anxiety, depression, fear, coping strategies, quality of life), and to identify the most effective therapeutic approaches in managing FCR. METHODS: Three databases were searched between January 2021 and April 2021 using the key words "fear of cancer recurrence - psychotherapy - intervention" following the a priori established PRISMA protocol. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were included in the final review. The database search identified 239 potential papers. After removing duplicates and irrelevant articles by title and language, population, and type of study, 13 articles were assessed for eligibility of the abstract, and 13 full-text articles were reviewed and included in this systematic review. The studies were mainly from the Netherlands (4 out of 13). Positive benefits of therapeutic interventions on FCR were reported. CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights challenges in using therapeutic approaches in dealing with FCR and its management. Therapeutic intervention is an effective means of managing not only FCR but also related factors (distress, well-being, quality of life). However, individual needs and preferences must be taken into consideration whilst choosing a therapeutic approach. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based interventions are the most used approaches with CBT being the most effective, especially in a blended form (i.e. standard CBT combined with other self-help activities). IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: The aim was to provide information about the most effective therapeutic approaches for coping with FCR.

Occupational burnout syndrome and post-traumatic stress among healthcare professionals during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

This comprehensive review aims to explain the potential impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on mental wellbeing of healthcare professionals (HCPs). Based on up-to-date research and psychological diagnostic manuals of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition and International Classification of Diseases, 11th revision, we describe associated psychological disorders and experiences that may arise related to COVID-19. Appropriate psychological measures are introduced, along with potential methodological limitations. Lastly, resilience building and preventative measures with interventions that may mitigate the impact on mental health of HCPs are described.

Current standards of neuropsychological assessment in epilepsy surgery centers across Europe.

We explored the current practice with respect to the neuropsychological assessment of surgical epilepsy patients in European epilepsy centers, with the aim of harmonizing and establishing common standards. Twenty-six epilepsy centers and members of "E-PILEPSY" (a European pilot network of reference centers in refractory epilepsy and epilepsy surgery), were asked to report the status of neuropsychological assessment in adults and children via two different surveys. There was a consensus among these centers regarding the role of neuropsychology in the presurgical workup. Strong agreement was found on indications (localization, epileptic dysfunctions, adverse drugs effects, and postoperative monitoring) and the domains to be evaluated (memory, attention, executive functions, language, visuospatial skills, intelligence, depression, anxiety, and quality of life). Although 186 different tests are in use throughout these European centers, a core group of tests reflecting a moderate level of agreement could be discerned. Variability exists with regard to indications, protocols, and paradigms for the assessment of hemispheric language dominance. For the tests in use, little published evidence of clinical validity in epilepsy was provided. Participants in the survey reported a need for improvement concerning the validity of the tests, tools for the assessment of everyday functioning and accelerated forgetting, national norms, and test co-normalization. Based on the present survey, we documented a consensus regarding the indications and principles of neuropsychological testing. Despite the variety of tests in use, the survey indicated that there may be a core set of tests chosen based on experience, as well as on published evidence. By combining these findings with the results of an ongoing systematic literature review, we aim for a battery that can be recommended for the use across epilepsy surgical centers in Europe.

Emotion recognition and social cognition in temporal lobe epilepsy and the effect of epilepsy surgery.

The abilities to identify facial expression from another person's face and to attribute mental states to others refer to preserved function of the temporal lobes. In the present study, we set out to evaluate emotion recognition and social cognition in presurgical and postsurgical patients with unilateral refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of TLE surgery and to identify the main risk factors for impairment in these functions. We recruited 30 patients with TLE for longitudinal data analysis (14 with right-sided and 16 with left-sided TLE) and 74 patients for cross-sectional data analysis (37 with right-sided and 37 with left-sided TLE) plus 20 healthy controls. Besides standard neuropsychological assessment, we administered an analog of the Ekman and Friesen test and the Faux Pas Test to assess emotion recognition and social cognition, respectively. Both emotion recognition and social cognition were impaired in the group of patients with TLE, irrespective of the focus side, compared with healthy controls. The performance in both tests was strongly dependent on the intelligence level. Beyond intelligence level, earlier age at epilepsy onset, longer disease duration, and history of early childhood brain injury predicted social cognition problems in patients with TLE. Epilepsy surgery within the temporal lobe seems to have neutral effect on patients' performances in both domains. However, there are a few individual patients who appear to be at risk of postoperative decline, even when seizure freedom is achieved following epilepsy surgery.