The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of psychosocial therapy on improving treatment response among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Participants will be randomized to receive standard medical treatment alone or combined with structured psychosocial therapy. Outcomes include treatment response, psychological well-being, and quality of life. 1. Do psychosocial interventions affect the response to breast cancer treatment? 2. How do societal attitudes toward psychological and social care influence the willingness of breast cancer patients in Palestine to seek psychosocial interventions?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
160
The psychosocial therapy consists of structured, individual, in-person counseling sessions designed to provide emotional support, enhance coping skills, and address psychological and social challenges experienced by breast cancer patients during treatment. The intervention is delivered by trained mental health professionals and focuses on improving patients' psychological well-being and treatment response.
Standard oncological medical treatment for breast cancer as prescribed by the treating physician, which may include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, or targeted therapy according to clinical guidelines.
Al-Quds university
East Jerusalem, Palestinian Territories
Breast cancer-specific quality of life assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B)
Breast cancer-specific quality of life will be assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) questionnaire. The FACT-B is a 37-item instrument assessing physical, social/family, emotional, functional well-being, and additional breast cancer concerns. Total scores range from 0 to 148, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks
Anxiety level assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Anxiety subscale (HADS-A)
Psychological distress will be assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The HADS is a 14-item questionnaire consisting of two subscales: anxiety and depression. Each subscale score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress and worse outcomes.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks
Health-related quality of life assessed by the 36-item short form health survey (SF-36)
Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). The SF-36 is a 36-item questionnaire measuring eight domains of physical and mental health. Domain scores are transformed to a scale ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks
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