Psychosociale factoren met invloed op ontstaan en verloop van kanker

Angelique Verzelen is een oncopsychologe en versterkt als coördinator de werking van het Cédric Hèle instituut. In het driemaandelijkse magazine 'Leven' van Kom op tegen Kanker (Editie 65 - Januari 2015) deelt Angelique haar visie op de vraag of kankerpatiënten een grotere kans op overleving hebben wanneer ze vechten tegen de ziekte. 

Fatigue is among the most distressing symptoms across the breast cancer continuum. However, little is known about the factors contributing to long-term persisting fatigue. Therefore, we explored determinants of long-term physical, affective, and cognitive fatigue in a prospective cohort of breast cancer patients.

Illness perceptions have proven to be predictive of coping and adjustment in many chronically ill patients. However, insights into illness perceptions of cancer patients are scarce. The purpose of the present study was to explore how a heterogeneous sample of cancer patients perceive their illness. We also examined the relationships between cancer patients' illness perceptions, their illness characteristics, and their coping strategies.

Dit onderzoek kaderde binnen het eindwerk van Stéphanie Peene voor de opleiding psycho-oncologie. In bijlage vindt u enerzijds een fiche met een kort overzicht van de probleemstelling - onderzoeksvraag - methode. Anderzijds vindt u er ook het eindrapport van het onderzoek.

Lymphedema is a distressing and chronic condition affecting up to 30% of breast cancer survivors. Using a cross-sectional study design, we examined the impact of self-reported lymphedema-related distress on psychosocial functioning among breast cancer survivors in the Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study. The Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study has a dataset that includes self-report data on lymphedema status, symptoms, and distress.

A breast cancer diagnosis is a distressing event that impacts on physical and psychological functioning. This study examined the longitudinal relationships among a diagnosis of breast cancer, social support, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Childhood cancer survivors are at risk for long-term neurocognitive and psychosocial morbidities. Research has seldom examined the relationship between these morbidities; thus, little empirical evidence exists concerning overall salience and how morbidities converge to impair day-to-day functioning. An increased understanding of functional impairment resulting from the pediatric cancer experience can inform early risk identification as well as sources for intervention.

The aim of this study was to provide insight into survivor-reported negative and positive consequences of cancer during adolescence 10 years after diagnosis and compare these with consequences reported 3 and 4 years after diagnosis.

This study examined the association of sleep before and during a chemotherapy (CT) cycle for breast cancer with symptoms and mood during a CT cycle.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) encompasses an individual's perception of positive personal changes as a consequence of a traumatic incident. The current study tested a theoretical model of PTG with the inclusion of resilience in the context of cancer survivors. 

Methods: Members of a prostate cancer support network were invited to complete a cross-sectional mail survey (N = 514, 52.8% response; mean age 70.17 years, and time since diagnosis 7.5 years).