title: The physician-patient relationship before cancer treatment: a prospective longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate quality of life before surgery for genital cancer to determine risk factors that might influence the physician-patient relationship.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1993 until 2003, 129 women with cervical cancer entered this prospective study. Patients were contacted 1 to 5 days before surgery by a psychologist or psychotherapeutically trained physician on the surgical ward. The semistructured interview included questions on the patient's psychosocial well-being according to criteria of the biographic interview technique. The preoperative anxiety level was evaluated by the STAI and quality of life by the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES) and EORTC questionnaires. Patients were assigned to groups undergoing pelvic exenteration (n = 62) or Wertheim procedure (n = 67).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The preoperative anxiety level did not correlate with the treatment modality. Women with a high anxiety level complained of a lack of information which correlated with a dissatisfaction concerning the physician-patient relationship (r = 0.457, P = 0.001). Quality of life in terms of medical interaction and the need for information were indicated to be the most important aspects for cancer patients facing genital surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data demonstrate the need for information strategies before surgery: first, to reduce anxiety by anticipating future quality of life outcome problems and, second, to improve medical interaction before stressful treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Mainz, 55101, Mainz, Germany. schoenef@mail.uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hawighorst
authors.forename: Goetz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schoenefuss
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fusshoeller
authors.forename: Cordula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.forename: Rudolph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seufert
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kelleher
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vaupel
authors.forename: Paul Georg
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Knapstein
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koelbl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011584:Psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery