Unmet information needs predict anxiety in early survivorship in young women with breast cancer
Menée en Australie par questionnaire auprès de 209 patientes atteintes d’un cancer du sein (âge : inférieur à 50 ans), cette étude analyse l’association entre leurs besoins en information et leur anxiété dans les 13 mois suivant le diagnostic
Purpose : To examine variations in anxiety and longitudinal associations between unmet supportive care needs and elevated anxiety in young women (< 50 years) within 13 months of their breast cancer diagnosis. Methods : Two hundred and nine women recruited through Victorian Cancer Registry completed questionnaires at study entry (T1) (average 7 months post-diagnosis) then 3 (T2) and 6 months later (T3). Women completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Supportive Care Needs Survey-Breast Cancer (SCNS-Breast) at each time point. Primary outcome was anxiety with six domains of SCNS-Breast (physical daily living, information, psychological, health system information, peer support, patient care and miscellaneous needs) the key predictors. Generalised estimating equations examined longitudinal associations. Results : Over the 6 months, the proportion of young women with elevated anxiety decreased (T1, 41% to T3, 35%; p = .06) as did the proportion with any moderate or high unmet needs (T1, 88%; T3, 74%; p < .01). While psychological needs and peer needs were positively associated with anxiety levels in multivariable cross-sectional analyses, in multivariable longitudinal analysis, only informational needs were associated with higher levels of anxiety (p < .001) with this association holding after adjusting for baseline anxiety levels. Conclusions : While reducing over time, a third of young women treated for breast cancer enter early survivorship with elevated anxiety and unmet supportive care needs. Implications for Cancer Survivors : As informational needs were positively associated with future levels of anxiety, addressing needs in this domain may decrease the risk of anxiety in younger women with breast cancer.