Associations of practical, emotional, and physical problems with psychosocial distress among cancer patients

Implications for Psychosocial Research This study found that NCCN Distress Thermometer distress levels and problem counts are highly correlated in most cancer patients. In addition to distress level, problem count on NCCN Distress Thermometer should be considered a potential trigger for psychosocial intervention. NCCN Distress Thermometer problem count may be a more durable indicator of need for psychosocial intervention then distress level alone. Psychosocial problems are rarely transient, while distress level can fluctuate day-to-day. Future research should examine the role of psychosocial problems on continuous distress scores and the relative contribution of each set of problem types on distress. Objective To better understand the relationship between cancer patient distress and psychosocial variables, including problem types, to improve ability to predict and address psychosocial need. Methods A variation of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer (DT) was administered and collected at four sites from an Integrated Network Cancer Program (INCP). The presence of moderate/severe distress was examined relative to patient demographics, disease characteristics, and psychosocial problems. Results Distress scores were positively correlated with all problem counts. For every count increase of practical, emotional, and physical problems, and for every cancer stage increase the odds of reporting a moderate/severe distress score was significantly higher. Relative to patients with one cancer treatment type, patients with three cancer treatment types were significantly less likely to report moderate/severe distress. Conclusion Problem count could be a useful indicator for clinical intervention. Stage and number of treatment types may also be considered clinically relevant distress predictors.

Automated summary

The study found a strong correlation between distress levels and problem counts in cancer patients. Problem count may be a more reliable indicator for psychosocial intervention than distress level alone. Factors such as cancer stage and number of treatment types can also be considered as relevant predictors for distress in clinical settings.