Tumors, an online platform where you can find psychological support

When you have cancer, even treating anxiety and stress related to the disease can increase survival. The data suggest so. For example, those published in Nature Medicine of the Stress Lung study on over 200 patients with advanced lung cancer treated with immunotherapy: two years after diagnosis, 65% of those who did not report signs of psychological distress were alive, compared to 46% of those who instead presented emotional distress, such as anxiety and depression.

The online platform

The problem is well known, as is the solution: psycho-oncological support for patients and their families. Good? Not really, because - let's remember - only 2 out of 10 oncology centers guarantee it, although on paper it is present in half of them. Those who do not find a helping hand in the wards, however, can find it online: on inbuonasalute.eu , the first psycho-oncology platform in Italy: a safe, accessible and highly professional place, where patients, caregivers and even health workers can enter to find a team of certified psycho-oncologists. After completing a questionnaire, the platform suggests the specialist most in line with each person's needs. On the site you can also find resources and information.

Psycho-oncology as part of treatment

“It is estimated that more than 50% of cancer patients develop significant levels of emotional distress, which have a negative impact on quality of life, adherence to treatments and, therefore, survival,” explains Gabriella Pravettoni , scientific director of 'In Buona Salute', director of the Psycho-Oncology Division of the European Institute of Oncology and professor of Decision Psychology at the University of Milan. Too often, the expert continues, the psychological implications of a cancer diagnosis are left in the background compared to strictly clinical needs. We must consider the difficulties doctors have in discussing these topics during the visit, also due to lack of time, and the reluctance of patients to confide in them, sometimes due to the stigma still associated with problems related to mental health. Even when psychological problems are recognized, it is not easy to manage them in clinical practice. In fact, there is no evaluation and intervention model that is suitable for all circumstances: “Psycho-oncological support must also adapt and respond to the needs of patients, adopting all useful tools, including online sessions”.

Depressed people are more likely to refuse chemotherapy

The impacts of psychological distress on the treatment pathway are multiple: for example, patients with depressive symptoms are less adherent to therapies, as observed by Lucia Del Mastro , Full Professor and Director of the Medical Oncology Clinic at the IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, University of Genoa: "A retrospective study investigated the degree of acceptance of adjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast cancer: among patients with depression who did not request psychological help, only 51% agreed to undergo chemotherapy. The association between depressive symptoms and reduced survival may be due not only to therapeutic non-adherence, but also to the response to chronic stress and the immune mechanisms involved".

Resources and culture: obstacles to psychological support

Guaranteeing psycho-oncological support is a question of resources, of course, but also of culture: it is necessary first of all to recognize the role of the psycho-oncologist within the multidisciplinary team. An important step was taken with the law that established the Breast Unit in Italy, in 2014: it establishes that psycho-oncologists are included within multidisciplinary teams. “But too often in breast care centers there is a lack of structured professionals, replaced by figures who work with precarious contracts - underlines Del Mastro - Furthermore, patients must be informed more and better about the opportunity to benefit from these services. This is why projects like In Buona Salute are important”.

For Rosanna D'Antona , president of the advocacy movement Europa Donna Italia (which represents women with breast cancer), the psycho-oncologist should be present from the beginning and at every interview: "We are well aware of the lack of dedicated staff and the precariousness of the positions - she concludes - While we are strongly committed to overcoming these limitations and respecting the European guidelines that require the presence of the psycho-oncologist in all Breast Units, we welcome the availability of an online platform with specialized figures, to which patients and families can turn with the certainty of finding qualified support".