Distress Thermometer in Long-term Npc Patients

Cancer can cause patients to experience serious psychological distress 1. During diagnosis and treatment of the disease, patients not only experience a series of physical problems, such as pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and sleep disorders, but also a series of mental health issues, including fear, sadness, anxiety, and depression 2. These physical and mental problems cause psychological distress in patients 3. Distress is defined as an unpleasant emotional, psychological, social, or spiritual experience that interferes with the ability to cope with cancer treatment. The distress experience extends along a continuum, from normal feelings of vulnerability, sadness, and fear, to disabling problems such as true depression, anxiety, panic, and feelings of being isolated or being in a spiritual crisis 3,4. For cancer patients, psychological distress is likely to be present at any stage from diagnosis to survivorship, thereby affecting various aspects of life 4–7. Psychological distress has been linked to ABSTRACT