Psychotherapeutic intervention during radiotherapy

Background Radiotherapy is associated with physical and emotional stress. Objectives The aim of this study is to assess symptoms of emotional and physical stress in patients undergoing radiotherapy, to study the effect of weekly psychotherapy on these symptoms, and to assess compliance of these patients with treatment. Subjects Eighty-five oncology patients were selected for the study. They were divided into two groups: the study group, which included 40 patients at the beginning of the treatment, but only 34 patients continued with the treatment, and the control group, which included 45 patients, but only 30 patients continued with the treatment. Methods The study group received weekly psychotherapy. Both groups underwent assessment of emotional and physical aspects before initiation of radiotherapy and after 6 weeks of radiotherapy using the following tools: the McGill Pain Questionnaire and Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Emesis Scale; anorexia and fatigue were assessed using the version scale of Present State Examination for Cancer Patients, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hopelessness Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results Both groups showed significant decreases in emotional symptoms. The mean difference in the study group was greater than that in the control group. The mean score for physical symptoms showed a significant difference after treatment in both groups. Female patients suffered more physically and emotionally, whereas male patients showed more improvement after treatment. Patients who did not know that they had malignancy showed lower scores on physical and emotional symptoms before treatment. Patients who knew their diagnosis benefitted more from treatment in terms of both emotional and physical aspects. Conclusion Psychotherapeutic intervention helps in alleviating emotional and physical distress of cancer patients during treatment by radiotherapy.