More than half of cancer patients face high emotional distress, finds Maharashtra study

Mumbai: More than half of cancer patients experience high levels of emotional distress at the time of diagnosis and treatment, but counselling and supportive care could improve their well-being, according to a study from city oncologists presented at the just-concluded annual conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in the US.

The multicentric study, conducted by MOC Cancer Care centres in western India, evaluated 2,273 adult cancer patients between April and December 2025 using the NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) Distress Thermometer, an internationally accepted screening tool that measures emotional and psychological distress on a scale of 0 to 10.

Around 57% of patients were classified in the 'high distress' category during their first assessment. “Cancer patients younger than 60 years of age and those with advanced stage IV cancers reported the greatest emotional burden. The average distress score at diagnosis was 5.2 out of 10,” said Dr Pradip Kendre from MOC Cancer Care’s Malad and Borivali centres.

The study highlights an often-overlooked aspect of cancer care in India, where treatment is focused on surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, while psychological well-being receives less attention.

In the Maharashtra study, patients reported concerns ranging from pain, fatigue and anxiety to financial stress and difficulties with self-care. In the October 2024 edition of the Indian Journal of Cancer, doctors from the Malabar Cancer Centre in Thalassery, Kerala, found that 39.9% of the 348 patients studied had clinically significant distress during new patient counselling. “Out of the 139 patients with clinically significant distress, 47.5% reported that the distress is due to psychosocial reasons, 25.9% reported it as due to both physical and psychosocial reasons, and 26.6% reported it due to physical reasons,” the study said.

However, follow-up assessments at MOC Cancer Care centres after counselling and supportive interventions showed improvement. The average distress score fell to 3.5, representing a statistically significant 30% reduction. Nearly half of all patients reported an improvement in their emotional well-being, while 42.8% remained stable and only 6.5% experienced worsening distress.

The study was part of a broader supportive oncology programme that assessed nutrition, mental health and quality of life among cancer patients. The researchers found that nearly 45% of patients were malnourished at diagnosis, while quality-of-life scores improved substantially following structured supportive care.

“Cancer care is not only about medicines. Simple interventions such as nutrition assessment, emotional distress screening, counselling and quality-of-life monitoring can meaningfully improve how patients tolerate treatment, function in daily life, and experience their cancer journey. The findings support the growing view that supportive oncology care should become a routine standard in Indian cancer treatment, just like blood tests, scans and chemotherapy protocols,” Dr Prakash Devde of MOC Cancer Care from Sambhajinagar.