Psychological Aspects to Consider in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Purpose of Review Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the West World. Coping with cancer is cause of extreme stress for patients and their family. The purpose of this review is to evaluate possible approaches to follow to control those situations that can impact on quality of life (QoL) and compliance to treatments. Recent Findings Anxiety, distress, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder are the most frequent psychological disorders in BC patients. Cognitive disorders and sexual dysfunction can also be important in affecting QoL both in younger and older patients. Younger and older patients show different characteristics of these disorders and different strategies of managing them. Several psychotherapeutic and supportive approaches have proven effective in managing psychological disorders in BC patients. Every BC patient should be supported with these techniques during her entire oncological history, in order to increase QoL and compliance to treatments.

Automated summary

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the Western world, causing extreme stress for patients and their families. Psychological disorders such as anxiety, distress, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder are common in breast cancer patients, affecting quality of life. Different psychotherapeutic and supportive approaches have proven effective in managing these psychological disorders and improving quality of life and treatment compliance for breast cancer patients.