Distress and care needs in newly diagnosed oral cavity cancer patients receiving surgery

SummaryThe purposes of this study were to examine postoperative levels of physical and psychological distress and, also, care needs and their related factors in newly diagnosed oral cavity cancer patients. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess symptom distress, psychological distress (anxiety, depression, and disease impact), care needs, and disease-/treatment-related characteristics in 112 hospitalized oral cavity cancer patients receiving surgery. The major results showed that patients had moderate-to-severe levels of distress and high overall care needs in five domains, with the highest level in the “physical and daily living” domain. Factors related to overall need and each unmet domain were identified. Overall care needs were predicted by anxiety, depression, cancer stage, performance status, and age. Among the three categories of psychological distress, anxiety contributed the most to predicting three domains of care needs. The results strongly suggest the need for systematic assessment and future longitudinal research.