Exploring the psychological burden in a pancreatic cancer surveillance programme based on high-risk individuals: a Swedish cross-sectional study

TL;DR

This study found that participants in a pancreatic cancer surveillance program experience high cancer worry, especially younger women, though it is not linked to their actual cancer risk level.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the psychological burden of individuals in a pancreatic cancer surveillance program, highlighting cancer worry and its demographic correlations.

Findings

Most participants showed high cancer worry scores (69.3% with scores ≥14 on the CWS).

Female sex and younger age were significantly correlated with higher cancer worry and anxiety.

No correlation was found between the risk level for pancreatic cancer and psychological burden.

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer, an aggressive cancer that presents with few or unspecific symptoms, has a poor prognosis. Thus, diagnosis at an early stage is vital for survival and a chance for curative treatment. Therefore, surveillance programmes for high-risk individuals are of the utmost importance. However, data on the psychological burden among participants in these programmes are limited.

This study aimed to investigate the psychological burden for participants in a pancreatic cancer surveillance programme and explore whether the psychological burden was related to the individual’s risk level for pancreatic cancer.

This single-centre cross-sectional study investigated cancer worry, anxiety, coping and perceived physical and mental health using a digital questionnaire, including the following instruments: Cancer Worry Scale (CWS), State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), 13-Item Sense of Coherence and 12-Item Short-Form Survey. The invited participants (n=413) were healthy individuals with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer enrolled in a pancreatic cancer surveillance programme.

The results indicated high cancer worry among respondents (n=78) with high scores on CWS (mean, 16.45). The majority (69.3%) had scores indicating high cancer worry (≥14). Anxiety was not equally high among respondents (mean STAI-T, 35.13; STAI-S, 35.9). Female sex and younger age were significantly correlated with higher cancer worry and anxiety (p < 0.001). Outcomes in coping and perceived health were similar to those of the normal population.

Cancer worry is particularly high among participants. No correlation was found between the risk level and psychological burden.