Psychological distress in Icelandic patients with repeated recurrences of cancer

The main aim was to investigate differences between the psychological distress of patients with a first diagnosis of cancer, those experiencing their first recurrence, and those experiencing later recurrences. Little is known about the development of cancer patients' psychological distress and whether it becomes more severe with greater incidence of recurrence. Method: A total of 218 patients from 3 oncology outpatient clinics in Iceland were assessed with the Brief Symptom Inventory Scale 18 (BSI 18). Results: Several aspects of cancer patients' psychological distress seem to positively correlate with number of recurrences, and women experience a recurrence of cancer differently to men. Conclusion: Health-care professionals need to be aware of patients' likely distress levels at different stages of their illness and the ways in which their gender might affect their psychological state.