Anticipatory psychological distress in women scheduled for diagnostic and curative breast cancer surgery.

Background: Psychological distress is a central experience for women facing diagnostic and curative breast cancer surgery.

Purpose: The present study was designed to predict anticipatory distress in 187 women scheduled to undergo excisional breast biopsy or lumpectomy.

Method: Participants completed questionnaires assessing emotional distress and predictors of this distress (surgery type, worry about the surgical procedure, and worry about what the surgeon will find).