The institution of a Multi-disciplinary Italian Breast Unit: Reflections of the first psychosocial research study results on distress and quality of life

Francesca Dionigi; Roberta Milani; Carlos Alberto Garcia-Etienne; Vincenza Praticò; Giuseppina Riboni; Angelica Della Valle; Alberta Ferrari; Donatella Grasso; Angioletta Lasagna; Paolo Pedrazzoli; Catherine Klersy; Pierluigi Politi; Adele Sgarella; Sara Manna; Carmen Conti

doi:10.1111/tbj.13244

The institution of a Multi-disciplinary Italian Breast Unit: Reflections of the first psychosocial research study results on distress and quality of life

Breast J. 2019 Jul;25(4):678-681. doi: 10.1111/tbj.13244. Epub 2019 May 24.

Authors

Francesca Dionigi^{1

2

3}, Roberta Milani⁴, Carlos Alberto Garcia-Etienne^{1

5}, Vincenza Praticò¹, Giuseppina Riboni¹, Angelica Della Valle^{1

2}, Alberta Ferrari^{1

2

5}, Donatella Grasso^{1

6}, Angioletta Lasagna^{1

6}, Paolo Pedrazzoli^{1

6}, Catherine Klersy⁷, Pierluigi Politi⁴, Adele Sgarella^{1

2

5}, Sara Manna¹, Carmen Conti¹

Affiliations

¹ Breast Centre, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
² General Surgery III- Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
³ PhD in Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi, Pavia, Italy.
⁴ Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Università degli Studi, Pavia, Italy.
⁵ Department of Clinical-Surgical Sciences, Università degli Studi, Pavia, Italy.
⁶ Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo and Università degli Studi, Pavia, Italy.
⁷ Servizio di Epidemiologia Clinica e Biometria, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.

PMID: 31127684
DOI: 10.1111/tbj.13244

Abstract

Breast cancer affects patients both emotionally and physically. It is time to consider distress as the sixth vital sign in breast cancer patients in Europe. Between 2012 and 2015, our EUSOMA-certified multi-disciplinary group conducted a study on emotional distress and quality-of-life in breast cancer patients at diagnosis, and observed their trend over the first 8 months of treatment. One hundred and forty-nine patients concluded the program. The psycho-oncologist and the breast nurses gave out SF36, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Distress Thermometer. Our Italian data go along with the reported literature on distress and quality-of-life. Despite modern advances, experiencing breast cancer impacts on overall quality-of-life.

Keywords: breast cancer; distress; multi-disciplinary group; psycho-oncology; quality-of-life.

MeSH terms

Breast Neoplasms / psychology*
Breast Neoplasms / surgery
Female
Humans
Italy
Mastectomy
Middle Aged
Quality of Life*
Stress, Psychological*
Surveys and Questionnaires