Marano G, Mazza M. Impact of gynecological cancers on women’s mental health. World J Psychiatry 2024; 14(9): 1294-1300 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i9.1294]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Marianna Mazza, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. mariannamazza@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychiatry
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2024; 14(9): 1294-1300 Published online Sep 19, 2024. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i9.1294
Impact of gynecological cancers on women’s mental health
Giuseppe Marano, Marianna Mazza
Giuseppe Marano, Marianna Mazza, Department of Neurosciences, Unit of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome 00168, Italy
Co-first authors: Giuseppe Marano and Marianna Mazza.
Author contributions: Mazza M and Marano G conceived the presented idea, performed the revision of literature and wrote the first draft of the paper, discussed the results, and contributed to the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marianna Mazza, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. mariannamazza@hotmail.com
Received: July 7, 2024 Revised: August 17, 2024 Accepted: August 21, 2024 Published online: September 19, 2024 Processing time: 65 Days and 11.9 Hours
Abstract
Gynecological cancers and their treatments are associated with both specific and non-specific long-term physiological effects. Cancer patients face transformations in their lifestyle, body image, role, and social interactions and suffer from physical, psychological, and economic problems. The mental health of cancer patients is of great importance and requires special attention, as growing evidence demonstrates its influence not only on quality of life but also on treatment compliance. Gynecological cancers have peculiar psychological consequences, which are linked to the specificity of the site of the neoplasia. Clinicians should be aware of the importance of protecting the psychophysical health of these patients and the fact that their physical health and quality of life also depend on the quality of their mental health. It is possible to structure targeted and effective prevention interventions and treatments to reduce psychological distress and improve the quality of life of subjects living with gynecological cancers.
Core Tip: The moment a gynecological cancer takes hold of a woman’s body marks a total invasion of her entire existence. These patients often experience deep psychological distress and undergo one of the most traumatic experiences of their lives, starting with the diagnosis and continuing with subsequent treatments. This picture is associated with psychological and emotional responses such as anxiety, anger, guilt, despair, uncertainty, loneliness, fear, difficulty accepting the disease, and loss of sexual desire. It is beneficial for psychological work to stimulate the post-traumatic growth experienced and reported by the patient, both in personal and relational terms.
