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THE FIRST WAVE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ITS IMPACT ON THE LEVEL OF DISTRESS IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, A MULTICENTRIC STUDY
Anuska Budisavljevic
orcid.org/0000-0001-6418-2278
; Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, General Hospital Pula, Pula, Croatia
Renata Kelemenic-Drazin
; Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, General Hospital Varazdin, Varazdin, Croatia
Natalija Dedic Plavetic
; Department of Oncology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Iva Kardum Fucak
; Department of Gastroenterology, Hematology and Oncology, General Hospital Koprivnica, Koprivnica, Croatia
Tajana Silovski
orcid.org/0000-0002-4699-5432
; Department of Oncology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vesna Telesmanic Dobric
orcid.org/0000-0002-6993-9230
; Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, General Hospital Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
Mario Nalbani
orcid.org/0000-0002-1755-3424
; Department of Oncology, General Hospital Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Zvonko Curic
; Department of Oncology, General Hospital Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Zvjezdana Boric-Mikez
orcid.org/0000-0003-0195-639X
; Department of Hematology and Oncology, General Hospital Slavonski Brod, Slavonski Brod, Croatia
Tatjana Ladenhauser
orcid.org/0000-0003-4624-7802
; Department of Oncology, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Stjepko Plestina
; Department of Oncology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Sažetak
Background: Information on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), later termed coronavirus
disease (COVID-19), first emerged by the end of 2019. As the pandemic spread, cancer patients were immediately recognized as a
high-risk population with regard to COVID-19 infection. Moreover, epidemiological measures, like social distancing and lockdowns,
additionally burdened patients with cancer. Even outside pandemic breast cancer patients are prone to psychological distress with
prevalence ranging approximately 20-40%. This multicentric study aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the level
of distress among breast cancer patients in Croatia while the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
Subjects and methods: Fife hundred forty-five breast cancer patients were offered to participate in the study. A total of two
hundred and one patient, with disease stages ranging I-IV, completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of disease and
socio-demographic characteristics followed by the Distress Thermometer and a problem list. The cut off value of 4 was used to
define the high level of distress within Distress Thermometer.
Results: High distress level was reported in 54.2% of patients. The most significant problems reported by the participants of our
study affected emotions, causing worry, sadness, depression, fear, and nervousness. Additionally, specific practical problems
emerged (e.g., child care, housing, and work/school), most probably partly due to the lockdowns and social distancing. Interestingly
enough, none of the socio-demographic or disease characteristics were linked to the level of distress.
Conclusions: During first wave of COVID-19 pandemic more than half of breast cancer patients, undergoing active oncologic
treatment, experienced a high level of distress. Therefore, distress driven by the COVID-19 pandemic should be promptly addressed
and additional psychological and social support, targeting specific practical and emotional problems, should be provided for those
patients. All the more so as global COVID-19 pandemic far exceeded the duration of the first wave.
Ključne riječi
breast cancer; COVID-19 pandemic; psychological distress; distress thermometer; chemotherapy
Hrčak ID:
272972
URI
Datum izdavanja:
8.2.2022.
Posjeta: 284 *