[The psychological taking charge of the oncological patient: a 3 years study on the activities of psychologists of the Piedmont and Aosta Valley Oncology Network.] / La presa in carico psicologica del paziente oncologico: uno studio di 3 anni sulle attività degli psiconcologi della Rete Oncologica Piemonte e Valle d'Aosta.

INTRODUCTION: Tumor pathology is a bio-psycho-social event that has consequences for a person's life from all points of view, physical, psychological, relational and social. The mental discomfort that chronic pain and neoplastic pathology brings with it is present in 25-40% of cases, but the request for help to a psychologist, where not provided for by a specific diagnostic therapeutic assistance path, is in the case of medical pathologies less than 3%. The Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta Oncology Network has the role of coordinating the network of services that deal with the care of the cancer patient, including those relating to psycho-oncology. The article presents data relating to the activities of psycho-oncologists of the Network in the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. METHODS: A shared tool is used to collect the data, a database, made up of various variables deemed necessary to be able to photograph the activities carried out by the psycho-oncologists belonging to the Network. The database has been the subject of comparison between psychologists and has led to continuous revisions of the tool from 2017 to 2019, more accurate version. RESULTS: The 3-year study involved 2188 (2017), 3341 (2018) and 3457 (2019) adult patients or their families treated by psycho-oncologists. Patients are predominantly female with breast cancer, married/cohabiting, whose pre-eminent discomfort is anxiety, combined with the depressive component. The psychological intervention is mainly psychological support (level 2). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Psychological management is an important intervention in the path of the cancer patient. The systematic collection of data made it possible to detect an increase in patients who accessed the psycho-oncology service, from an estimate of 1/3% in 2009 to 4.6% in 2018/2019.

Psychological Distress in Breast Cancer Patients during the Italian COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The emergency caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic exacerbated psychological distress. Our aim was to investigate the impact of breast cancer on patients' lives during the Italian lockdown. METHODS: Sixty-five female breast cancer patients were studied, assessing the level of psychological distress with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the impact of the cancer diagnosis (Impact of Event Scale-Revised-IES-R). In addition, we compared these data with a matched group of breast cancer patients enrolled in 2019. RESULTS: Patients enrolled in 2020 had statistically higher levels of anxious symptomatology and higher levels of traumatic symptomatology due to the cancer diagnosis. A mediation analysis was performed to determine how the experience of distress due to COVID-19 negatively impacted the level of anxiety and amplified the impact of the diagnosis with a significant increase in traumatic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the vulnerability of these patients and the serious and novel situation that the healthcare system is currently facing, we would like to point out the importance of structured and organised psychological support for these patients.

Assessment of anxiety, depression, and distress in breast cancer patients: A comparison among different phases of illness.

We aimed to assess the levels of anxious and depressive symptoms and distress in a sample of breast cancer patients in the different phases of the illness. We performed a cross-sectional study. We divided 301 female breast cancer patients into three groups, based on the phase of illness they were in being in post-surgery (N = 100), receiving adjuvant therapies (N = 86), and receiving follow-up care (N = 115). We included the follow-up within the phases of illness. We further divided each group into first diagnosed or with recurrence and we administered Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Distress Thermometer. First-diagnosed patients with clinically relevant anxiety increased from being post-surgery (35.8%), to receiving adjuvant therapies (53.7%), and to being in follow-up (61.5%). In patients with recurrence, distress was stable among the illness phases, but many patients had clinically relevant anxiety (55.65%) and depression (43.48%). First-diagnosed patients' emotional distress could be more linked to follow-up-related difficulties. During recurrence, high distress could be due to the failure of previous treatments. Distress screening can better orient psycho-social interventions and healthcare resources.

Interprofessional Communication Team for Caregivers of Patients Hospitalized in the COVID-19 Wards: Results From an Italian Experience.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency restrictions did not allow clinician family meetings and relatives' visits. In Molinette Hospital, a new communication model between healthcare providers and families of COVID-19 affected patients was developed by a team of physicians and psychologists. The study's aims were to investigate caregivers' distress and to analyse their satisfaction with the communications provided. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among caregivers of patients of Molinette Hospital COVID wards. Between April and June 2020, all caregivers were contacted 2 weeks after the patient's discharge/death to assess their satisfaction with the communications received through an online survey. Results: A total of 155 caregivers completed the survey. Caregivers' distress level was found to be higher in women than men (p = 0.048) and in caregivers whose relative died compared to the caregivers whose relative was discharged (p < 0.001). More than 85% of caregivers defined communication "excellent"/"very good"; being male was associated with higher satisfaction levels than women (ß = -0.165, p = 0.046). Besides daily communication, 63 caregivers (40.6%) received additional support from a psychologist of the team. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study presenting, in an emergency, a new model of communication provided by a team of physicians and psychologists, and analyzing satisfaction with it. This model was highly appreciated by caregivers and it limited the discomfort caused by the restrictions on relatives' visits. It would be interesting to further evaluate the possibility of extending a communication model that includes doctors and psychologists in routine clinical practice.

Anxiety and Depression in Women Newly Diagnosed with Breast Cancer and Waiting for Surgery: Prevalence and Associations with Socio-Demographic Variables.

Background and Objectives: Cancer is a threatening-life disease with a significant psychological burden. The psychological morbidity varies according to the phases of the illness and is influenced by multiple socio-demographic factors, that are useful to consider in order to identify the categories of patients most at risk of developing psychiatric disorders. The present study analyzes, in a sample of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, the relationships between their levels of anxiety and depression and several socio-demographic characteristics. The study was cross-sectional. Materials and Methods: Four hundred and seventy eight women newly diagnosed with breast cancer completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale during the pre-surgical phase. Results: Findings show that almost 40% of the sample had clinically relevant anxious symptoms and about a quarter of the sample had significant depressive symptoms. Their prevalence was higher in widows. Moreover, depressive symptoms were higher in older women and anxious symptoms were higher in patients with a lower educational level. In the pre-surgical phase, women can suffer from clinically relevant anxiety and depression, especially the widows, older women, and women with a lower educational level. Conclusions: Identifying the most psychologically vulnerable patients, due to specific socio-demographic characteristics, is essential in order to provide adequate psycho-oncological treatments to the categories of patients, who are most at risk of developing psychopathological concerns.

The use of the Distress Thermometer and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for screening of anxiety and depression in Italian women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Distress is a factor that can adversely affect quality of life in breast cancer patients. A rapid and non-invasive tool to accurately detect distress is therefore important. The aims of the study were (1) to describe the women's experiences after having received a breast cancer diagnosis and while awaiting primary surgery, in terms of anxiety and depression, (2) to evaluate the use of the Distress Thermometer (DT) in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, and (3) to define an optimal cutoff score for the DT for this population. METHOD: This study involved 436 newly diagnosed patients in the pre-surgery phase. Consent forms and questionnaires were delivered by nurses during the pre-surgery check-ups, in the time between the 4 weeks post-diagnosis and the 2 weeks before surgery. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the DT compared to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and to define an optimal cutoff score for the DT in this specific population. RESULTS: The results showed that the DT is a fast, easy, and well-accepted screening tool in the Italian context of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, performing well in relation to the HADS. The proposed cutoff score for DT screening in the clinical setting is 4 versus 5. CONCLUSION: The DT is recommended as a first step in screening, always followed by a more detailed evaluation of psychological functioning.

The Traumatic Experience of Breast Cancer: Which Factors Can Relate to the Post-traumatic Outcomes?

Background: Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is considered a positive outcome of struggling with a traumatic event, distinct, and opposite from negative outcomes, i.e., psychological distress. The present study aimed to shed light on the relationship between potentially relating factors (i.e., coping strategies, perceived social support, and attachment style) and both positive and negative psychological outcomes. Methods: A total of 123 breast cancer survivors were recruited, who completed a battery of self-report questionnaires, assessing PTG, psychological distress, coping strategies, perceived social support, and attachment style. Three regression analyses were run to evaluate whether relating factors were significant predictors of the positive and negative psychological outcomes. Results: The regression analyses showed that the "Fatalism" coping strategy and perceived social support were two significant predictors of PTG. Instead, the "Helpless-Hopeless" and "Anxious Preoccupation" coping strategies, as well as an insecure attachment style, were significant predictors of depression, while the "Anxious Preoccupation" coping strategy and an insecure attachment style were significant predictors of anxiety. Conclusions: The present findings showed that the factors underlying a positive or negative outcome are different and specific. While perceived social support and a fatalistic attitude seem to play a key role in the positive outcome, dysfunctional coping strategies, together with an insecure attachment style, appear to be related with negative psychological outcome. Considering these factors in clinical practice would help patients to give meaning to their traumatic experience, enhancing psychological growth.

Neurobiological features and response to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in patients with breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common invasive types of cancer among women, with important consequences on both physical and psychological functioning. Patients with BC have a great risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but few studies have evaluated the efficacy of psychological interventions to treat it. Furthermore, no neuroimaging studies have evaluated the neurobiological effects of psychotherapeutic treatment for BC-related PTSD. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) as compared to Treatment as Usual (TAU) in BC patients with PTSD, identifying by electroencephalography (EEG) the neurophysiological changes underlying treatments effect and their correlation with clinical symptoms. Method: Thirty patients with BC and PTSD diagnosis were included, receiving either EMDR (n = 15) or TAU (n = 15). Patients were assessed before and after treatments with clinical questionnaires and EEG. The proportion of patients who no longer meet criteria for PTSD after the intervention and changes in clinical scores, both between and within groups, were evaluated. Two-sample permutation t-tests among EEG channels were performed to investigate differences in power spectral density between groups. Pearson correlation analysis was carried out between power bands and clinical scores. Results: At post-treatment, all patients treated with EMDR no longer met criteria for PTSD, while all patients treated with TAU maintained the diagnosis. A significant decrease in depressive symptoms was found only in the EMDR group, while anxiety remained stable in all patients. EEG results corroborated these findings, showing significant differences in delta and theta bands in left angular and right fusiform gyri only in the EMDR group. Conclusions: It is essential to detect PTSD symptoms in patients with BC, in order to offer proper interventions. The efficacy of EMDR therapy in reducing cancer-related PTSD is supported by both clinical and neurobiological findings.

Antecedentes: El cáncer de mama (CM) es uno de los tipos de cáncer invasivo más comunes entre las mujeres, con importantes consecuencias tanto en el funcionamiento físico como psicológico. Los pacientes con CM tienen un gran riesgo de desarrollar trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT), pero solo unos pocos estudios han evaluado la eficacia de las intervenciones psicológicas para tratarlo. Adicionalmente, ningún estudio de neuroimagen ha evaluado los efectos neurobiológicos del tratamiento psicoterapéutico para el TEPT relacionado con CM. Objetivo: el estudio buscó evaluar la eficacia de la terapia de desensibilización y reprocesamiento con movimientos oculares (EMDR) en comparación con el tratamiento habitual (TAU) en pacientes con TEPT en CM, identificando también mediante EEG los cambios neurofisiológicos que subyacen al efecto de los tratamientos y su correlación con los síntomas clínicos. Método: se incluyeron treinta pacientes con diagnóstico de CM y TEPT, recibiendo EMDR (n = 15) o TAU (n = 15). Los pacientes fueron evaluados antes y después de los tratamientos con cuestionarios clínicos y electroencefalografía (EEG). Se evaluó la proporción de pacientes que dejaron de cumplir con los criterios para trastorno de estrés postraumático después de la intervención y los cambios en las puntuaciones clínicas, tanto al interior como entre los grupos. Se realizaron pruebas t de permutación de dos muestras entre canales EEG para investigar las diferencias en la Densidad del Espectro de Potencia entre los grupos. Se realizó un análisis de correlación de Pearson entre bandas de potencia y puntuaciones clínicas. Resultados: En el postratamiento, todos los pacientes tratados con EMDR ya no cumplían con los criterios para TEPT, mientras que todos los pacientes tratados con TAU mantuvieron el diagnóstico. Se encontró una disminución significativa de síntomas depresivos solo en el grupo EMDR, mientras que la ansiedad se mantuvo estable en todos los pacientes. Los resultados del EEG corroboraron estos hallazgos, mostrando diferencias significativas en las bandas delta y theta en los giros angular izquierdo y fusiforme derecho solo en el grupo EMDR. Conclusiones: es esencial detectar los síntomas de TEPT también en pacientes con CM para poder ofrecer intervenciones adecuadas. La eficacia de la terapia EMDR en reducir el trastorno de estrés postraumático relacionado con el cáncer es apoyado tanto por los hallazgos clínicos como neurobiológicos.