Psychiatric disorder in women with early stage and advanced breast cancer: A comparative analysis

Abstract

Objective: To assess psychosocial morbidity in women with breast cancer and to compare the differential rates between women with early stage and advanced disease. Method: In this report, 303 women with early stage breast cancer, psychiatrically assessed at baseline (as part of a study of cognitive-existential group therapy during adjuvant chemotherapy), are compared with 200 women with advanced breast cancer (similarly assessed in a trial of supportive-expressive group therapy). A structured psychiatric interview plus self-report measures were used to assess psychiatric morbidity, quality of life and cognitive attitude to cancer. Results: The early stage patients, whose mean age was 46 years..