A systematic review of quantitative observational studies investigating psychological distress in testicular cancer survivors

Allan Ben Smith^{1

2

3

4}, Claudia Rutherford^{3

4

5}, Phyllis Butow^{3

5}, Ian Olver^{4

6}, Tim Luckett⁷, Peter Grimison^{4

8

9}, Guy Toner^{4

10}, Martin Stockler^{4

11

9}, Madeleine King^{3

5

9}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Oncology Education and Research Translation (CONCERT), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia.
² South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
³ Psycho-Oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group Limited (ANZUP), Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁵ School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁶ Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁷ Improving Palliative, Chronic and Aged Care through Clinical Trials Research and Translation (ImPaCCT), South Western Sydney Clinical School, Faculty of Health, University of New South Wales and University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁸ Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁹ Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹⁰ Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
¹¹ Sydney Cancer Centre, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 29171109
DOI: 10.1002/pon.4596

A systematic review of quantitative observational studies investigating psychological distress in testicular cancer survivors

Allan Ben Smith et al. Psychooncology. 2018 Apr.

. 2018 Apr;27(4):1129-1137.

doi: 10.1002/pon.4596. Epub 2018 Jan 11.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Oncology Education and Research Translation (CONCERT), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia.
² South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
³ Psycho-Oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group Limited (ANZUP), Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁵ School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁶ Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁷ Improving Palliative, Chronic and Aged Care through Clinical Trials Research and Translation (ImPaCCT), South Western Sydney Clinical School, Faculty of Health, University of New South Wales and University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁸ Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁹ Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹⁰ Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
¹¹ Sydney Cancer Centre, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 29171109
DOI: 10.1002/pon.4596

Abstract

Objective: Testicular cancer (TC) affects young men and may cause psychological distress despite a good prognosis. This systematic review evaluated the prevalence, severity, and correlates of anxiety, depression, fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), and distress in TC survivors.

Methods: A systematic search of literature published 1977 to 2017 was conducted to find quantitative studies including TC survivor-reported outcomes relevant to review objectives. The quality of included articles was assessed, and a narrative synthesis conducted.

Results: Of 6717 articles identified, 66 (39 good, 20 fair, and 7 poor quality) reporting results from 36 studies were included. Testicular cancer survivors' mean anxiety levels were higher than in the general population, while mean depression and distress were no different. Clinically significant anxiety (≈1 in 5) and to a lesser extent distress (≈1 in 7), but not depression, were more prevalent in TC survivors than the general population. Approximately 1 in 3 TC survivors experienced elevated FCR. Poorer psychological outcomes were more common among TC survivors who were single, unemployed/low socio-economic status, suffering from co-morbidities, experiencing worse symptoms/side effects, and using passive coping strategies.

Conclusions: Many TC survivors do not experience significant psychological morbidity, but anxiety and FCR are prevalent. Inadequate coping resources (eg, low socio-economic status and social support) and strategies (eg, avoidance) and greater symptoms/side effects were associated with poorer outcomes. Theoretically driven prospective studies would aid understanding of how outcomes change over time and how to screen for risk. Age and gender appropriate interventions that prevent and manage issues specific to TC survivors are also needed.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; fear of cancer recurrence; oncology; patient-reported outcomes; survivorship; systematic review; testicular cancer.

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A systematic review of quantitative observational studies investigating psychological distress in testicular cancer survivors

Affiliations

A systematic review of quantitative observational studies investigating psychological distress in testicular cancer survivors

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Supplementary concepts

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources

Medical