High levels of untreated distress and fatigue in cancer patients

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dc.contributor.authorLamont, L.
dc.contributor.authorBultz, B.D.
dc.contributor.authorSimpson, J.S.A.
dc.contributor.authorRobinson, J.
dc.contributor.authorPelletier, G.
dc.contributor.authorMartin, M.
dc.contributor.authorMacRae, J.H.
dc.contributor.authorCarlson, Linda E.
dc.contributor.authorAngen, M.
dc.contributor.authorCullum, J.
dc.contributor.authorGoodey, E.
dc.contributor.authorKoopmans, J.
dc.contributor.authorTillotson, L.
dc.contributor.authorSpeca, M.
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-12T17:49:03Z
dc.date.available2018-10-12T17:49:03Z
dc.date.issued2004-5-25
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of the study was to assess a large representative sample of cancer patients on distress levels, common psychosocial problems, and awareness and use of psychosocial support services. A total of 3095 patients were assessed over a 4-week period with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), a common problems checklist, and on awareness and use of psychosocial resources. Full data was available on 2776 patients. On average, patients were 60 years old, Caucasian (78.3%), and middle class. Approximately, half were attending for follow-up care. Types of cancer varied, with the largest groups being breast (23.5%), prostate (16.9%), colorectal (7.5%), and lung (5.8%) cancer patients. Overall, 37.8% of all patients met criteria for general distress in the clinical range. A higher proportion of men met case criteria for somatisation, and more women for depression. There were no gender differences in anxiety or overall distress severity. Minority patients were more likely to be distressed, as were those with lower income, cancers other than prostate, and those currently on active treatment. Lung, pancreatic, head and neck, Hodgkin's disease, and brain cancer patients were the most distressed. Almost half of all patients who met distress criteria had not sought professional psychosocial support nor did they intend to in the future. In conclusion, distress is very common in cancer patients across diagnoses and across the disease trajectory. Many patients who report high levels of distress are not taking advantage of available supportive resources. Barriers to such use, and factors predicting distress and use of psychosocial care, require further exploration.
dc.identifier.citationCarlson, L. E., Angen, M., Cullum, J., Goodey, E., Koopmans, J., Lamont, L., … Bultz, B. D. (2004). High levels of untreated distress and fatigue in cancer patients. British Journal of Cancer, 90(12), 2297–2304. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6601887
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/sj.bjc.6601887
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/33887
dc.identifier.issn0007-0920
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/108878
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.publisher.departmentOncology
dc.publisher.departmentPsychology
dc.publisher.facultyArts
dc.publisher.facultyCumming School of Medicine
dc.publisher.hasversionPublisher’s version
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgary
dc.publisher.policyhttps://www.nature.com/bjc/authors-and-referees/authors#publishing-licenses
dc.rightsUnless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
dc.titleHigh levels of untreated distress and fatigue in cancer patients
dc.typejournal article
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