title: Patients' supportive care needs and psychological distress in advanced breast cancer patients in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Few studies have investigated the prevalence of the unmet needs among advanced or recurrent breast cancer patients in Asian countries and little is known about the relation between their unmet needs and psychological distress/quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants (n = 87) comprised randomly selected ambulatory female patients with advanced or recurrent breast cancer attending the Outpatient Department of Oncology, Immunology and Surgery of Nagoya City University Hospital. The patients were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires assessing the level of their physical and psychological symptoms, supportive care needs and socio-demographic and biomedical factors. The association between the patients' perceived needs and psychological distress/quality of life was then analyzed statistically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients had a mean ± standard deviation of 11 ± 7.7 and a median of 10 unmet needs. The prevalence of the 17 most frequent unmet needs was over 50%, and almost all of these unmet need items belonged to the Psychological or the Health system and information domain. The total Short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey Questionnaire with cancer score was significantly associated with the indices of psychological distress and quality of life. Most of the Short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey Questionnaire with cancer domains except Sexuality domain were also significantly associated with all the indices of psychological distress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychosocial needs were strongly associated with psychological distress and quality of life. Quality of life and psychological distress may be improved if interventions for unmet needs, especially psychological and information needs, are made.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akechi
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sagawa
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakaguchi
authors.forename: Chiharu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyama
authors.forename: Toshiaki A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000523:psychology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010045:Outpatients; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires