Browsing by Author "K. Ramdas"

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Distress overlaps with anxiety and depression in patients with head and neck cancer
(2007) Manoj Pandey; Nandkumar Devi; Bejoy C. Thomas; S. Vinod Kumar; Rita Krishnan; K. Ramdas
Psychological problems in cancer patients often go unrecognized until they are specifically sought. This is more in patients with depression as they are reluctant to complain about their symptoms. The present study was carried out to evaluate the relation of distress with anxiety and depression in 123 patients with head and neck cancers using Distress Inventory for Cancer version 2 (DIC2) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS). The mean DIC 2 scores were 24.6 while that of subscales ranged from 2.6 to 11.0. Fifteen patients were found to have clinical caseness for anxiety while 12 (10%) were caseness for depression. Total distress, emotional and social distress subscales were found to have positive correlation with anxiety and depression suggesting a possible overlap of two constructs. In multivariate analysis only belief in god was found to significantly affect the distress. Results of present study suggest significant psychological morbidity in head neck cancer patients undergoing curative treatment. This is the first study reporting on the psychometric properties of distress inventory on cancer version 2 since its validation, the results suggest a possible overlap of two constructs similar to that seen with other tools on distress and this may have major implications for clinical practice. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Higher distress relates to poor quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer
(2009) M. Pandey; N. Devi; K. Ramdas; R. Krishnan; V. Kumar
Cancers of the head and neck are unique because they may interfere with speech, swallowing, breathing and taste. This study investigated the effect of distress on quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing treatment and looked at the predictors of distress. 123 patients with head and neck cancer undergoing multimodal treatment were interviewed using the distress inventory for cancer version 2 (DIC2) and the functional assessment of cancer treatment Head Neck (FACT-HN) questionnaire. Nearly half of the patients had early, node negative (N0) disease. The mean distress score was 24.6 and the mean FACT-HN score was 114.5. There was a negative correlation between distress and quality of life scores (patients with higher distress had poor quality of life). Neither surgery nor chemotherapy affected distress or quality of life. Multivariate analysis identified education, occupation, tumor and nodal stage as predictors of distress. Tumor and nodal status influenced overall quality of life. High amounts of distress lead to poor quality of life in patients with head and neck cancers. Financial security, understanding and support from the partner reduced distress in these patients. © 2009 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.