Comprehensive preoperative psychological assessment of breast cancer patients

ABSTRACT

In the context of the traumas suffered by patients following the oncological diagnosis and the expectation of the surgical intervention, it is important to unitary and multidimensional identify the psychological status, using a single interview structured to cover these psychological vulnerabilities. The overall psychological picture can help the psycho-oncologist to adapt his psychotherapeutic interventions to relieve the stress caused by the oncological diagnosis and specific treatment. 58 patients with a breast cancer diagnosis and 61 patients with breast lumps diagnosis who were waiting for the histopathological result, received several scales for assessing emotional distress, the level self-esteem, depression, anxiety and cognitive dysfunctions levels. The analysis of the answers led to the multidimensional identification of differences between the two categories of patients and establishing correlations between personality traits and the development of certain psychological changes. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between patients with breast cancer and those with breast lumps awaiting histopathological diagnosis, in the areas of self-esteem, depression and cognitive schemas. Diagnosed patients have predominantly dysfunctional attitudes such as negative emotions and cognitive schemas related to catastrophe and self-deprecation, while undiagnosed patients, have cognitive schemas related to low tolerance for frustration and absolutist requirements and lower dysfunctional attitudes. A global assessment with a single psychological tool can capture the overall picture of the cancer patient, including possible triggers and maintenance of symptoms, with the psychological consequences of the disease that are reflected somatically, as well as predisposing factors in the history that generates these feelings.

KEYWORDS:

• psycho-oncology
• breast cancer
• emotional distress
• depression
• cognitive schemas

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Financial support

For this study, no grant or funding was received.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was carried out in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its subsequent amendments and does not contain animal studies performed by any of the authors. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. This study was approved by the Ethics and Academic and Scientific Ethics Committee of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania (70/02.04.2019).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.