Psychosocial support

Clinical practice guidelines for the psychosocial care of adults with cancer

An estimated 50,000 Australians suffer anxiety or depression each year following a diagnosis of cancer.

Until now these consequences of cancer have gone largely undetected and untreated because health professionals have had little education or training about these problems or good evidence on how they can best be prevented and managed.

This marks the Guidelines as a world first. They are written for health professionals who deal with cancer patients at all stages of care from diagnosis, treatment and palliative care.

The Guidelines are aimed particularly at GPs, cancer specialists such as radiation and medical oncologists, surgeons, nurses, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

They explain how people with cancer face many emotional, psychological and practical day-to-day demands on top of the debilitating physical impacts of the disease and its treatment.

Not only do people feel distressed and fearful on being diagnosed with cancer, but up to two-thirds suffer long-term emotional distress.

In 1998 there were 80,864 new cancer cases in Australia, excluding non-melanocytic skin cancers. Breaking this down, the Guidelines report that up to 30 per cent of these cancer cases suffer significant long-term anxiety while up to 35 per cent become clinically depressed. Further, these emotional and psychological issues often impede people’s ability to cope with the disease and can reduce their willingness to agree to or continue with some forms of cancer treatment.

Evidence presented in the Guidelines describes how this undetected and untreated emotional fallout has a cascading impact on a person’s family, friends, social networks and employment. For instance, 20 per cent of cancer patients have ongoing employment problems. Apart from physical impact of the disease, these emotional stressors often impair their ability and desire to continue or return to work.

The Guidelines also describe the opportunities health professionals have to ensure that patients don’t experience serious, long-term clinical disorders such as depression and anxiety. Further, where cancer patients do experience these problems, the Guidelines provide an evidence-based guide on detecting them and ensuring patients get the right type of referral and expert treatment.