PurposeThe development of brain metastases (BM) can significantly increase the psycho-oncological burden in cancer patients, requiring timely intervention.In addition, this aspect may negatively affect the course of the disease and treatment outcome.However, screening RAF Corner Chaise for psycho-oncological burden is often overlooked in clinical routine.
Therefore, we analyzed the extent of psycho-oncological distress in a patient population with BM receiving neurosurgical resection and identified clinical characteristics associated with a high need for psycho-oncological intervention.MethodsWe prospectively screened 353 patients (169 female, 184 male, mean age 61.9 years) scheduled for microsurgical resection of one or more BM.
Psycho-oncological screening was performed on the day of admission using the Hornheider screening instrument (HSI) and the distress thermometer (DT).Screening results were correlated with demographic and clinical data.ResultsMost patients (73.
1%) completed the screening questionnaire.Patients who failed to complete the questionnaire presented more frequently with metachronous BM (74.7% vs.
25.3%, p=0.009), were significantly older (p=0.
0018), and had a significantly lower KPS score (p=0.0002).Based on the threshold values of the questionnaires, 59.
3% of the patients showed a significant psycho-oncological burden requiring immediate intervention.Univariate analysis demonstrated that synchronous BM (p=0.034), tumors in eloquent areas (p=0.
001), lower KPS (p=0.031), female gender (p=0.009), and presurgical aphasia (p=0.
042) were significantly associated with high psycho-oncological burden.Multivariate analysis showed synchronous BM (p=0.045), female gender (p=0.
005), and lower KPS (p=0.028) as independent factors associated with high psycho-oncological burden.ConclusionThe majority of patients with BM have a Field Bib high psycho-oncological burden.
Female gender, synchronous BM, and lower KPS are independently associated with a need for psycho-oncological intervention.