Lymphoma patients report high levels of distress

Compared to patients with early stage cancers, patients with hematologic and late stage cancers had decreased global health and physical function, as well as increased pain and fatigue. Subramaniam said this could be attributed to side effects of treatment.

She added that treatment side effects might also explain why patients who did not receive chemotherapy had higher global health scores.

Patients who didn’t receive radiotherapy were twice as likely as those who did to report psychological distress. And Subramaniam attributed this to a loss of hope among patients who were not treated.

Patients treated in public and academic hospitals were less likely to be psychologically distressed than those treated in private centers. Subramaniam said this could be related to financial distress.

In closing, Subramaniam said this study indicates that cancer survivors in Malaysia have impaired HRQOL, and many experience psychological distress. Therefore, clinicians should focus on “supporting patients throughout their whole cancer ‘journey,’ especially in their lives after treatment.”

*Abstract 496O_PR—“Health-related quality of life and psychological distress among cancer survivors in a middle-income Asian country.” (Information in the abstract differs from the presentation.)