Long-Term Positive and Negative Psychosocial Outcome in Young Cancer Survivors and Their Healthy Peers: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder/Somatoform Disorder

With increased overall 5-year survival rates in childhood cancer, psychosocial factors gained more attention in research and clinical practice. Cancer-related consequences, such as premature confrontation with mortality, changes in physical appearance, increased dependence on parents, disruption in social life and school/employment, loss of reproductive capacity and health-related concerns about the future, may be particularly distressing for children/adolescents with cancer and their families. Mental stress symptoms (anxiety, depression, somatoform disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder) are common complications at both during the treatment and survivorship and may have a negative impact on the course of treatment and health-related quality of life. Thus, psychosocial care is a crucial part of the multidisciplinary therapy. Psycho-oncology has developed in the mid-1970s and addresses the patient’s psychosocial problems. Some cancer survivors can derive personal benefits from the experiences made with cancer, which is termed as posttraumatic growth. Since cancer increases risk for psychological burdens, efforts should be made to identify and provide psychological support.