Selected psychiatric disorders in patients with cancer
Aleksandra Sesiuk, Lidia Rzepiela

Cancer is currently among the most prevalent diseases worldwide. Not only does it affect the somatic health of the patients, but also their emotional, mental, and social wellbeing. Impaired functioning on those levels, in turn, has adverse effect on the effects of treatment of the underlying disease as such. Psychiatric disorders of varying severity are quite common in cancer patients, potentially manifesting at any given stage of disease advancement. They may occur in response to the patient’s changed social situation or to the stress it entails, but may also be triggered by physiological or pathological factors influencing the central nervous system in the course of the disease. The list of the most common mental conditions encountered in cancer patients includes adjustment disorders, depressive syndromes, anxiety, disorders of consciousness, psychoorganic syndrome, psychotic disorders, sleep disturbances, chronic pain and stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chemobrain. Chemobrain is a peculiar phenomenon, comprising potential disorders of various kinds impeding short-term memory, psychomotor speed, response time, visual-spatial skills and speech fluency, the ability to perform complex tasks, concentration as well as visual and verbal memory. The disorders most frequently afflict patients who undergo systemic therapy, they are subtle and temporary. Cancer is a disease whose occurrence and course are influenced by the functioning of the immune, endocrine, and central nervous system, with the science that explores the interaction between them known as psychoneuroimmunology. Research has demonstrated the systems to communicate through messengers such as neurotransmitters, hormones, growth factors and cytokines. As cancer has effect on every sphere of the patient’s life, so many patients suffer from psychiatric comorbidities. A holistic approach and joint effort of specialists in various fields of medicine, such as oncology, psychiatry or psychology, are hence crucial for cancer patients.