Some Young Breast Cancer Survivors Report PTSD Symptoms Years After Diagnosis

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is known to affect a subset of cancer survivors. Astudy inPsycho-Oncology found that 6.3% of young survivors of non-metastatic breast cancer reported PTSD symptoms related to cancer more than two years after their diagnosis. Women who reported anxiety symptoms six months after being diagnosed with breast cancer were 12 times more likely than others to report PTSD symptoms two years later.“We found similar rates of cancer-related PTSS [posttraumatic stress symptoms] in breast cancer survivors diagnosed at a young age compared with the general breast cancer population despite their well-documented increased risk of overall distress,” wrote Danny Vazquez, M.D., M.P.P., of Dana-Farb er Cancer Institute and colleagues. “Nevertheless, factors associated with posttraumatic stress should be considered at diagnosis and in survivorship to identify young patients who may benefit from psychosocial resources.”The findings were based on data collected as part of the Young Women ’s Breast Cancer Study—an ongoing prospective cohort study of more than 1,300 women diagnosed with breast cancer at or before the age of 40. Study participants received a baseline survey within six months of diagnosis, and follow-up surveys were sent every six months for the first three years after diagnosis and yearly thereafter.At baseline, all participants filled out questionnaires assessing symptoms of anxiety and depression, fear of cancer recurrence, and prese...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: age at diagnosis anxiety breast cancer Danny Vazquez depression education posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD Checklist social support Young Women's Breast Cancer Study Source Type: research