The psychological impact of breast cancer among cancer patients

Abstract

Introduction. According to WHO statistics from 2018, breast cancer (CM) has an incidence of 11.6% among all cancers, accounting for about 6.5% of all deaths worldwide. In the Republic of Moldova, the incidence of breast cancer in 2020 was 28.7 ‰ 00 (n = 1016) and mortality - 13.7 ‰ 00 (n = 486) out of a total of 10462 (567.7 ‰ 00) of patients suffering from this disease. Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities in these patients. There are not enough statistics to show that depression and anxiety are associated with the level of progression of breast cancer or mortality, but nevertheless, there is significant psychological suffering related to cancer that affects 30-60% of women diagnosed with breast cancer. According to studies, depression associated with cancer increases the risk of recurrence or even death. Also, less than 30% of patients in difficulty receive psychosocial care, although the need for psychosocial care plays a key role in the recovery and survival process. According to international studies, patients with breast cancer who received psychosocial care after diagnosis, have better psychosocial health and a higher level of survival compared to patients in the control group. Aim of study. To study the psychological impact of breast cancer on patients diagnosed in the Republic of Moldova. Methods and materials. Prospective study that includes a batch of 60 patients with the diagnosis of breast cancer who were hospitalized and treated in the mammalogy department of the IMSP Oncological Institute during 2021. Results. The patients in our study were over 40 years old in about 92%, and only 8% of them - an age between 31-40 years. All patients had children, 66.6% of whom had 2 children, and 80% of them breastfed. At the same time, all of them had some stressors before enduring the disease, 66.6% had miscarriages, and as many suffered from depression and lack of a stable income. Of all the patients included in the study, 80% had a subjective stress level greater than 7 points out of 10.According to the HADS scale for assessing the level of depression and anxiety, 33.3% of patients had an abnormal level of depression, 6.66% are on the border between normal and abnormal, 26.6% of patients have an abnormal level of depression. anxiety, and 53.3% are on the border between normal and abnormal. Conclusion. The psychological impact of breast cancer among cancer patients is still poorly studied, however, at least 1/3 of them suffer from some degree of anxiety or depression, and more than half of them are on the verge of normal to abnormal. All patients suffering from this disease regardless of stage, age, treatment, volume of surgery, etc., need a certain level of psychological counseling.