title: Psychosocial support needs of Slovak breast cancer survivors one and three years after breast conserving surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess psychosocial support needs among Slovak breast cancer survivors treated by breast conserving surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients responded the EORTC QLQ 30.3 questionnaire and the self-elaborated BCPN (Breast Cancer Psychosocial Needs) questionnaire one and three years after breast conserving surgery (BSC) and modified radical mastectomy (MRM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Assessment of psychosocial distress related to breast cancer treatment have shown a remarkable time-related increase in scores of emotional distress symptoms among breast cancer patients treated with breast-conserving surgery. Analysis of psychosocial support needs of these patients has shown, that a substantial part of breast cancer survivors are feeling inadequate beneficial psychosocial support from health care providers (informational support), social oncology workers, and psychologists (emotional support). Insufficient targeted psychosocial support involved individual as well as group intervention (provided by breast cancer patients surviving the disease for long time).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Unmet psychosocial needs from health care providers has been perceived as a major factor harming patients ability to cope with the disease and to maintain their family, marital and social functioning (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 22).
authors: Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. viera.bencova@hafling.sk
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Bencova
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Krajcovicova
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Bella
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Krcmery
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires