Introduction/Background Anxiety and depression are common in patients with cancer, as this is a life-changing diagnosis causing uncertainty, fear and stress. We aim to assess emotional distress of patients diagnosed with breast and gynecological cancer hospitalized at the Institute of Salah Azaiz (ISA) using the HADS score.

Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2023 and included 50 women with breast or gynaecological cancer hospitalized at the ISA. The HADS questionnaire was used to assess anxious and depressive symptoms, with a score range of 0–21 for each scale, 11 being the threshold for abnormal states.

Results Fifty women diagnosed with breast or gynecological cancer participated in the study, with ages ranging from 27 to 68 years. The most common cancer diagnosis in the sample was breast cancer (70%, n=35). Seventy-four percent of the participants had a moderate to high socioeconomic level. The median time since diagnosis was 9 months. Thirty-six percent (n=18) scored above 11 in both the anxiety and depression scales.

Higher anxiety scores were associated with lower educational levels (p=0.034), lack of family support (p=0.047), and absence of breast prosthesis after radical mastectomy (p<0.001).

Depressive states were correlated to chronic pain (p=0.001) and a positive moderate correlation with pain intensity, measured by the EVA scale, was observed (r=0.500, p<0.001). Experiencing neuropathy was also associated to higher scores of emotional distress (p=0.027). Longer phases of treatment, such as second-line palliative chemotherapy and hormone therapy were associated to higher levels of depression (p=0.001 and p=0.035 respectively).

Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of screening for emotional distress in breast and gynecological cancer patients. Factors such as educational level, familial support, breast reconstruction, and pain should be considered in the assessment of emotional distress. Counseling, psychotherapy, or referral to mental health services, could improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for these patients.

Disclosures No financial conflict of interest were reported.