Psycho-social and general health status after surgical treatment in cancer patients: An Indian prospect

Objective : The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychological, social well-being and general state of health in patients suffering from cancer, before and after surgical treatment. Experimental/Computational Work Done: Subjects were selected from HCG MEDI-SURGE Hospital, India, who had undertaken surgical treatment for various cancers. The present study consists of a single centered, behavioral, prospective study designed to evaluate 100 cancer patients with their psycho-social and general health status. The population of patients chosen for the study contained patients of both sexes. Data were obtained by using two questionnaires, i.e., General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Obtained data were evaluated for correlation of incidence of psycho-sociological aspect with gender, age, and family background history. Statistical analysis was carried out by using the Student t-test and ANOVA. Results and Discussion: Higher percentage of depression and anxiety were observed after surgical treatment among breast cancer patients and head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Stage I and III colorectal cancer, stage I-IV breast and HNC cancer patients did not show significant change in GHQ-28 and HADS scores after surgical treatment. The female patients of colorectal and HNC cancer showed higher total GHQ-28 and HADS scores compared to male. Conclusions: From this study it can be concluded that cancer patients after surgical treatment show an increase in the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. Depression and anxiety disorders are especially common and detection of these disorders is an important in the overall disease management in India.