P02.60
Purpose: The prevalence of anxiety and depression in prostate cancer patients (PCa) being managed with active surveillance (AS) is estimated to be as high as 22% and 13% respectively. Psychological distress currently sits as a significant predictor of men on AS transferring to radical treatment. Such men experience various physical side effects and a reduced quality of life for no additional increase in survival. To prevent this, support interventions are required that will help AS patients better cope and manage their psychological distress. We currently have very little understanding of what kind of support AS patients require.
Methods: We undertook a series of in-depth qualitative interviews in a sample of 20 AS patients. The interviews were designed to elicit a greater understanding of the psychological and emotional distress in AS, what causes it and how best it may be able to manage it in terms of the design, content and delivery of a AS specific support intervention. The interviews were analyzed thematically.
Results: AS patients articulated a need for more information about their PCa and its management with AS. They acknowledged a degree of emotional distress (anxiety and depression) and stated that they would like guidance on self-care approaches that they could use to alleviate these conditions. The participants were positive about the concept of group based support, especially if run by a clinical PCa nurse. Likewise, they were open and positive towards the concept of an AS specific informational support website. These data have been utilised to develop a psycho-educational support intervention for AS patients.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that men being managed with AS articulated a need for additional psycho-educational support to help them better cope and manage with the burden of living with an untreated cancer.
Contact: George Lewith, glewith@scmrt.org.uk
