Klin Onkol 2015; 28(3): 177-182. DOI: 10.14735/amko2015177.
Summary
Background: Acute stress in patients experiencing cancer diagnosis and the post-traumatic stress disorder in cancer survivors results in impaired overall quality of life mainly due to associated psychological and physical alterations, including anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunctions, fatigue, pain, cachexia and others. Recent studies revealed a new insight into molecular mechanisms contributing to the development of cancer-related co morbidities. It has been shown that adverse psychosomatic reactions including cancer depression to emotional cancer distress result from neuroendocrinne dysfunctions, disruption of the hypothalamus- pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system, serotonin-dopamine interactions and circadian sleep- wake rhythm disruption. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate clinical studies oriented toward elucidation of the hypothesis that cancer-related anxio- depressive syndrome is the major disorder leading to the development of accompanying psychosomatic disruptions. Material and Methods: The data of the biopsychosocial approach in the treatment of cancer presented in the current literature were collecting using appropriate electronic databases and were elaborated in the form of meta-analysis of 24 selected publications. Results: According to relevant clinical studies, psychosocial interventions and psychopharmacological treatment has been shown to reduce cancer symp tomatology and to improve the ability of patients to cope with the disease. Thus, one of the key pillars of supportive care in oncology is stress reduction. Cognitive- behavioral interventions and group psychosocial therapies have shown to reduce stress from the diagnosis and treatment, to palliate depression and to help in restoring the circadian rhythm. Psychopharamacological interventions are the most useful approaches in the reduction of stress-induced cancer comorbidities. In the presented study, a plausible role of stress reduction in the protection of cancer patients from posttraumatic and anxio- depressive syndrome, physical and psychical suff ering, from decrease of patient’s quality of life, ability to cope with the disease and cooperate in cancer treatment has been analyzed. Conclusion: Implementation of the biopsychosocial model of cancer care needs further cooperation between behavioral scientists and clinical oncologists attempted to elucidate further possibilities of psychosocial and pharmacological interventions leading to the regulation of stress-induced alterations of the neurotransmitter system and neuroendocrinne dysfunctions reduction of cancer-related co morbidities and improvement of patients survival time.
