Psychooncological care for patients with cancer during 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic: Views and experiences of senior psychooncologists at German Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

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.

Quality of life and distress assessed with self and external assessment screening tools in patients with hematologic malignancies attending treatment in an acute hospital.

Purpose: In this study, we examined distress levels and quality of life (QoL) of patients with hematologic malignancies under treatment in an acute setting. We used external- and self-assessment instruments for distress. Additionally, we investigated the relation between distress and QoL as well as whether highly distressed patients differed from less distressed patients concerning their QoL.

Quality of Patient Information by Urologists Is Associated with Mental Distress in Bladder Cancer Patients.

Aims: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of mental distress in patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer, the cancer-information search behavior, and the influence of information seeking on distress.

Methods: One hundred and one bladder cancer patients answered 2 established questionnaires ("Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale" [HADS] and the "Fragebogen zur Belastung von Krebskranken" [FBK-R23]) for evaluation of mental distress and a self-developed questionnaire with questions concerning information seeking and socioeconomic facts.

Results: Regarding risk group stratification, 57.

Correction to: Psychosocial distress in acute cancer patients assessed with an expert rating scale.

The article "Psychosocial distress in acute cancer patients assessed with an expert rating scale".

Cognitive Performance and Psychological Distress in Breast Cancer Patients at Disease Onset.

Objective: Many cancer patients complain about cognitive dysfunction. While cognitive deficits have been attributed to the side effects of chemotherapy, there is evidence for impairment at disease onset, prior to cancer-directed therapy. Further debated issues concern the relationship between self-reported complaints and objective test performance and the role of psychological distress.

Information needs in cancer patients across the disease trajectory. A prospective study.

Objective: As satisfaction with information received is an important precondition of adherence to treatment in cancer patients, we aimed to examine the level of perceived information, information satisfaction and information needs, and examine the prospective association between information satisfaction and anxiety.

Methods: In a multicenter study in Germany, 1398 cancer patients were evaluated in terms of this at baseline, after 6 and 12 months.

Results: At baseline, the majority of patients reported to feel well-informed.

Impact of social support on psychosocial symptoms and quality of life in cancer patients: results of a multilevel model approach from a longitudinal multicenter study.

This prospective multicenter study aimed to investigate the courses of positive support (PS) and detrimental interaction (DI), two different aspects of social support, and the relation between social support and psychosocial distress and/or health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large sample of patients with different cancers. For this observational study, we enrolled adult patients with cancer from 13 comprehensive cancer centers (CCCs) in Germany. We included a total of 1087 patients in our analysis.

Physicians' attitudes towards psycho-oncology, perceived barriers, and psychosocial competencies: Indicators of successful implementation of adjunctive psycho-oncological care?

Objective: Clinical experience reveals a gap between recommended psychosocial care and actual support for psycho-oncology. Physicians are essential for managing psychosocial distress and for the successful implementation of psycho-oncology. The aim was to explore physician's attitudes towards psycho-oncology, their self-perceived barriers towards referral to psycho-oncology, and their personal psychosocial competencies in a maximum-care hospital.

Psychosocial distress and utilization of professional psychological care in cancer patients: An observational study in National Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCCs) in Germany.

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.

The Basic Documentation for Psycho-Oncology Short Form (PO-Bado SF)--an expert rating scale for distress screening: development and psychometric properties.

Background: The aim of this study is to validate the Basic Documentation for Psycho-Oncology Short Form (PO-Bado SF), a six item interview-based expert rating scale for distress screening in cancer patients.

Methods: Using a heterogeneous multicenter study sample (n = 1551), we examined validity, reliability, and dimensionality of the PO-Bado SF. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Distress Thermometer, the Questionnaire on Stress in Cancer, and the Patient Health Questionnaire were used to investigate convergent validity.

Online survey of cancer patients on complementary and alternative medicine.

Introduction: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is often used by cancer patients, yet, communication with the oncologist is poor. The objective of our study was to gather information on patients' usage of CAM, source of information, and aims, in order to derive strategies to improve the communication between physicians and patients on this topic.

Materials And Methods: An online survey was conducted by linking a standardized questionnaire to the largest internet portal for cancer patients in Germany.

Online survey of patients with breast cancer on complementary and alternative medicine.

About 50% of cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Women with breast cancer use CAM more frequently than others. We linked a questionnaire to the largest internet portal for cancer patients in Germany.

Survey of German non-medical practitioners regarding complementary and alternative medicine in oncology.

Background: In total, 40-70% of cancer patients use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). Many of them ask for advice from non-medical practitioners (NMPs). Our aim was to investigate the attitude of NMPs regarding their treatments for cancer patients.

User rate of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) of patients visiting a counseling facility for CAM of a German comprehensive cancer center.

Background: In Europe about 40% to 50% of patients with cancer use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). Only scarce data regarding the use of CAM have been reported from comprehensive cancer Centers.

Patients And Methods: We carried out a survey on patients attending the counseling Unit for CAM of a German comprehensive cancer Center using a standardized questionnaire.

Online information on complementary and alternative medicine for cancer patients: evidence-based recommendations.

Background: Many cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Most websites offering online information on CAM are not helpful for them.

Methods: We extracted decisive elements for online information on CAM by analyzing the literature on the information needs of cancer patients and on counseling cancer patients on CAM.

Analysis of the contents of German magazines for tumor patients.

Background: Cancer patients have high information needs. Besides direct discussion with the physician, media provide important access to information. In the age of the internet, print media are still being used by many patients.

Psychosocial distress in acute cancer patients assessed with an expert rating scale.

Purpose: The identification of psychosocial stress in cancer patients has remained a challenging task especially in an acute care environment. The aims of the present study were to apply a short expert rating scale for the assessment of distress during the acute treatment phase and to identify potential sociodemographic and disease-related predictors.

Methods: Four hundred seventy-eight ward cancer patients were assessed with the short form of the psycho-oncological basis documentation and its breast-cancer-specific version.