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Objective: More than one in 10 cancer patients care for dependent children. It is unclear whether this status makes a difference in terms of the distress and associated problems they experience, or whether it is linked to differences in the need for or utilization of psychosocial support. Methods: Secondary analysis of a cross‐sectional German study in National Comprehensive Cancer Centers using self‐report standardized questionnaires administered to inpatients. Patients living with dependent children (n = 161) were matched by age and sex with a subsample of 161 cancer patients not living with dependent children. The resulting sample was tested for between‐group differences in Distress Thermometer (DT) scores and the corresponding DT Problem List. Additionally, between‐group differences in measures of the need for and utilization of psychosocial support were examined. Results: More than 50% of all patients suffered from clinically relevant distress. Patients living with dependent children reported significantly more practical (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.04), family (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.03), and emotional problems (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.01). Although reporting a greater need for psychological support, parents with cancer were not found to more frequently utilize any type of psychosocial support. Conclusions: The specific problems and needs of parents with cancer who care for dependent children are currently not sufficiently addressed in the clinical care pathways. All families should be helped to establish open and honest communication as well as understand the available support systems and what they can provide. Tailored interventions should be implemented for highly distressed families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Aim of the study was to compare working and non‐working patients over a period of 12 months regarding socio‐demographic, cancer‐specific and mental health parameters. Methods: This study was conducted as part of a Germany‐wide longitudinal survey among 1398 patients in 13 national Comprehensive Cancer Centers. The sample used for analysis consisted of n = 430 cancer patients younger than 65 years (age M = 52.4 years, SD = 8.1; 67.0% females). Socio‐demographic, cancer‐specific and mental health parameters (Depression: Patient Health Questionnaire, Anxiety: Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, Distress: Distress Thermometer) were assessed at baseline during hospitalization and at 12 months follow‐up. Results: 73.7% of all patients (n = 317) have returned to work after one year. While working and non‐working patients did not differ in socio‐demographic parameters, there were significant differences in the presence of metastases, tumor and treatment status. Mixed analysis of variances revealed significant interactions between working status and time for depression (p = 0.009), anxiety (p = 0.003) and distress (p = 0.007). Non‐working patients reported higher levels of depression, anxiety and distress than working patients over time. A logistic regression showed significant associations between lower depression (p = 0.019), lower distress (p = 0.033) and the absence of a tumor (p = 0.015) with working status. Conclusions: The majority of cancer survivors returned to work. Non‐working patients had higher levels of depression, anxiety and distress than working patients. After controlling for cancer‐specific factors, mental health parameters were still independently associated with working status. Return to work can thus be associated with an improved mental health in cancer survivors. In order to establish causality, further research is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key points: A monthly videoconference was maintained over 1 year, allowing senior psychooncologists from German Comprehensive Cancer Centers to discuss the implications of the Covid‐19 pandemic for psychooncological care.In the early phase of the pandemic, a widespread disruption of psychooncological services was noted.Rapidly developed adaptations of regular services worked well and sometimes brought about unexpected, creative solutions.In March 2021, the high numbers of infections, the occurrence of new variants of the coronavirus, and the slow progress in vaccination raise fears about new disruptions and restrictions in service provision.In coping with the pandemic, many therapists have felt like many cancer patients do feel in the process of coping with cancer, and this might help to better understand our patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Prognostic awareness is essential for making treatment decisions in malignant diseases. Being confronted with a poor prognosis, however, can affect patients' mental health. Therefore, it is important to study coping in the context of malignant diseases. Acceptance is an adaptive coping strategy associated with less psychological distress. This study sought to explore the facilitators and barriers for prognostic acceptance in a sample in which both hope and uncertainty regarding prognosis are pronounced: multiple myeloma patients. Methods: In a German university hospital, 20 multiple myeloma patients participated in semistructured interviews. Following thematic content analysis by Kuckartz, the interview transcripts were coded for facilitators and barriers for prognostic acceptance. Additionally, patients completed questionnaires on prognostic awareness and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Patients described the following facilitators for prognostic acceptance: social support, positive thinking, focusing on the Here and Now, proactive confrontation, having little to no symptoms, and being there for others. The indicated barriers were distressing physical symptoms and restricted functioning, social distress, and additional distress from other areas of life. Conclusions: Patients reported a variety of factors—related to the social realm, symptom burden, and specific attitudes—that help or hinder them in accepting their prognosis. Oncologists and psycho‐oncologists may support prognostic acceptance by encouraging patients to both actively deal with realistic information as well as enjoy pleasant and meaningful moments in the present during which the disease and its prognosis recedes into the background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Precision cancer medicine (PCM) aims at identifying tumor-driving molecular characteristics to improve therapy. Despite early successes for some cancers, the approach faces manifold challenges. Patients undergoing extensive molecular diagnostics (MD) may hope for personal benefit, although chances are small. In order to offer suitable support to this group, health-care professionals need to gain insight into patients' experience. Thus, this study sought to explore the expectations of cancer patients undergoing MD of their tumor.Methods: In two German Comprehensive Cancer Centers, 30 patients with advanced-stage cancer who had exhausted conventional treatment and had consented to extensive, research-oriented MD (whole-genome sequencing n = 24, panel sequencing n = 6) participated in semi-structured interviews. Following thematic content analysis by Kuckartz, the interview transcripts were coded for expectations of MD participation and topics closely related. Moreover, patients completed questionnaires on their sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and psychosocial distress.Results: Patients reported to be expecting (a) an improvement of their treatment, (b) a contribution to research, and/or (c) additional insight to their own cancer. Further, they described to feel individually appreciated and to have a reason to maintain hope for cure or recovery by participating in MD.Conclusions: Molecular diagnostics participation led patients to feel treated in a more "personalized" way, allowing them a greater sense of control in their situation of severe illness. Oncologists and psycho-oncologists need to ensure comprehensive information and empathetic support for patients undergoing extensive MD to balance their expectations and actual chances of clinical benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to assess cancer patients' use of psychological care and its correlates in a large sample of cancer patients in Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCCs) in Germany. Methods: In a multicenter study in Germany, cancer patients with various diagnoses were evaluated for self‐reported use of psychological support. We measured psychological distress, depression and anxiety, quality of life, and social support with standardized questionnaires and analyzed its association with the utilization of psychological care using multivariable logistic regression. This paper focuses on a cross‐sectional analysis of the data assessed during inpatient care. Results: Three thousand fifty‐four (50%) of hospitalized patients were asked for participation, and n = 1632 (53.6%) participated. We were able to analyze n = 1,398 (45.9%) patients. Three hundred ninety‐seven (28.4%) of the sample utilized psychological support. Users of psychological care were significantly younger than nonusers (odds ratio [OR]: 0.967, P < 0.001) and were more often female (OR: 1.878, P < 0.001), whereas educational level was not associated with the use of psychological care. In the multivariable analysis, effects on the use of psychological care were observed for Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) anxiety (OR: 1.106, P = 0.001) and both subscales of the 12‐item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐12) quality of life measure (mental, OR: 0.97, P = 0.002; physical, OR: 0.97, P = 0.002). Conclusion: Psychological distress and anxiety are higher, and quality of life is lower in users of psychological care in comparison with nonusers during inpatient cancer treatment. Although psychooncological services should be provided to all patients who need them, special efforts should be made to reach populations that report low utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]