Mental adjustment to cancer and its relation to anxiety, depression, HRQL and survival in patients with laryngeal cancer - A longitudinal study
2011

Mental Adjustment to Cancer in Laryngeal Cancer Patients

Sample size: 95 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Mia Johansson, Anna Rydén, Caterina Finizia

Primary Institution: Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Hypothesis

This study investigates the relation between mental adjustment to cancer and anxiety, depression, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and survival in patients treated for laryngeal cancer.

Conclusion

The study found that maladaptive mental adjustment responses are associated with increased anxiety, depression, decreased HRQL, and possibly poorer survival in laryngeal cancer patients.

Supporting Evidence

  • Patients using Helpless-Hopeless responses reported more anxiety and depression.
  • Higher scores on the Helpless-Hopeless scale were related to poorer survival.
  • The study included a follow-up period of 4.22 years.

Takeaway

Patients with laryngeal cancer who feel hopeless or anxious may have a harder time coping and could live shorter lives, so it's important to help them adjust mentally.

Methodology

The study used a longitudinal design with assessments at one and 12 months after treatment using various psychological scales.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the exclusion of patients with more advanced disease and lower performance status.

Limitations

The sample size is small, and excluded patients had more advanced disease, which may underestimate psychiatric morbidity.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 100 patients with laryngeal cancer, predominantly male (83%) with a mean age of 67 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.001

Confidence Interval

1.067-1.279

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2407-11-283

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