Emotional Distress and Financial Toxicity in Younger Adult Patients Undergoing Oncologic Surgery

Background: There has been an alarming increase in the number of young adults (YA) diagnosed with cancer. The emotional, psychosocial, and financial distress experienced by newly diagnosed YA undergoing cancer surgery remains largely unknown. Methods: A validated biopsychosocial distress screening tool (SupportScreen) was administered to patients diagnosed with cancer before surgery between 2009 and 2017 in a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. Patients were stratified into YA less than or equal to 45 years and older adults (OA) above 45 years. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyze distress outcomes. Results: In total, 4297 patients were identified, with YA comprising 13.3% (n=573) of the cohort. YA reported higher emotional distress, including increased anxiety (33.8% vs 27.4%, P=0.002), greater fear of procedures (26.7% vs 22%, P=0.018), and difficulty managing emotions (26% vs 20.7%, P=0.006). YA struggled more frequently to manage work/school (29.5% vs 19.3%, P
Source: Annals of Surgery - Category: Surgery Tags: Papers of the 141st ASA Annual Meeting Source Type: research