gms | German Medical Science

Objective: The aim of the ongoing study is to figure out the best time for a psycho-oncological screening in brain tumor patients. The question is whether a single screening at the beginning of the admission is appropriate and sufficient for detecting psychological stress or if the emotional state in patients has to be reevaluated during the hospital stay. The struggle with a malignant diagnosis is handled differently by patients; thus predictors for intense need of psycho-oncological support would be beneficial.

Methods: So far 26 patients participated in the study. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure patients psychological stress level, family situation and social support as well as cognitive skills several times during their hospital stay and once after discharge.

Results: Regardless of the expected tumor dignity, all patients showed signs of a mild depression with increasing symptoms during their hospital stay. After being informed about the diagnosis (benign vs. malignant) the above-mentioned fact did not change significantly. At the end of the observation period of about 6 weeks, depression scores slowly declined. As expected, patients with a strong social support show fewer symptoms and were less likely in need of psycho-oncological support.

Conclusion: A single screening early after admission is not sufficient to detect if the patient would benefit from counselling in order to reduce emotional stress.Regardless of the tumor dignity, patients should be informed about the possibility of psycho-oncological support at the beginning of their hospital stay. We suggest for all patients to undergo a psycho-oncologic screening after being informed of their histopathological diagnosis. We recommend awareness for typical signs of depression onset in order to offer intervention immediately.