Optimism, distress, health-related quality of life, and change in cancer antigen 125 among patients with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated whether situational and dispositional optimism were protective against dimensions of distress and aspects of health-related quality of life (HQoL) in patients with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy. This study also evaluated whether optimism predicted a decrease in cancer antigen (CA) 125 levels during treatment.


METHODS
Ninety women with epithelial ovarian cancer were assessed at the start and end of chemotherapy. Optimism, distress, and HQoL were measured by self-report; CA 125 levels were gathered from patients' medical charts.


RESULTS
Both measures of optimism were inversely associated with baseline anxiety, perceived stress, and depression. In addition, situational optimism was positively associated with baseline social and physical well-being, and dispositional optimism was positively associated with baseline social and functional well-being. However, neither measure of optimism predicted domains of distress or HQoL at the follow-up assessment after controlling for baseline levels. Dispositional optimism predicted CA 125 at the end of treatment after controlling for baseline levels. However, neither situational nor dispositional optimism predicted CA 125 falling to normal levels (< or =35 U/mL).


CONCLUSIONS
Consistent with prior research, optimism was inversely associated with distress and positively associated with HQoL in patients with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Higher levels of dispositional optimism at the start of chemotherapy were associated with a greater decline in patients' CA 125 during treatment.
de Moor
Janet S
JS
Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard School of Public Health, Center for Community Based Research, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. janet_demoor@dfci.harvard.edu
de Moor
Carl A
CA
Basen-Engquist
Karen
K
Kudelka
Andrzej
A
Bevers
Michael W
MW
Cohen
Lorenzo
L
D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001294:Attitude to Health; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018394:CA-125 Antigen