Enhancing Psychosocial Support in the Oncology Setting

While every patient with cancer will have psychosocial needs, understanding when to assess those needs and what professionals to connect a patient with are key to supporting patients, shared Claire Conley, PhD, and Marcelo Sleiman, Jr., BA, at a patient and caregiver symposium at The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Conley, an assistant professor of oncology at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown and licensed clinical psychiatrist, focuses on the necessity of proactive assessment, noting that clinicians must actively screen for distress rather than relying on observation alone. She highlights the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommendations for continuous screening throughout the patient’s treatment, particularly during major transitions such as treatment changes or disease progression.

Conley also emphasized that the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s distress thermometer can provide a starting point for assessing patients’ psychosocial needs.

Sleiman, a program manager in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Lombardi, expands on this by discussing the role of external and national resources. He emphasizes a broad definition of community based on shared experience rather than geography, encouraging the use of nonprofit organizations and telehealth to support patients.

Sleiman and Conley, who is also a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program, highlighted that understanding workflows and which providers to refer patients to is necessary to ensure patients are supported.

Transcript

Conley: We don’t know if people need support unless we ask, right? Assessment is a big piece of the puzzle. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends that people be assessed for anxiety and depression throughout their cancer survivorship journey. Not just at the time of diagnosis, but at major transitions: if somebody is changing their treatment regimen, if they have a progression, or moments like those.

Assessment is the first thing that we need to focus on. If we assess, then we know if someone needs support. You might be familiar with the distress thermometer. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s distress thermometer is one that’s very commonly used. That’s a great place to start, but there are also more specialized measures of depression and anxiety that we can use. That’s the first thing to know.

The second thing to know is what the protocol is within your institution for somebody who is experiencing higher levels of depression and anxiety. Who do you call? Is it an oncology social worker? Is there a psychologist on staff that serves your patients with cancer that you could refer to? Or do you need to make referrals into the community?

Sleiman: Connecting folks to the resources that exist externally is critical in improving health outcomes. And those services can also be done, you know, nationally. When I say community, it’s more than just your geographic local community. It’s the community of people who share similar experiences.

There is a variety of nonprofit organizations that exist nationally that can support people through virtual or telehealth visits just to be able to talk about the needs that they have. It’s important for the care team to work together as well.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.