Presentation Master's Thesis - Sanderijn Engel - Brain & Cognition

This study investigated quality of life of brain cancer patients, five years after Radiation Treatment. We aimed to find the strongest predictors of quality of life and explored the influence of employment status, marital status, symptoms of anxiety and depression on quality of life in long-term brain cancer survivors. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Brain (FACT-Br) was used to measure quality of life and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) was utilised to measure symptoms of anxiety and depression. Within a sample of 33 patients, over a third experienced high levels of anxiety and more than a third of the patients were unable to return to work and were still unemployed at measurement. Employment status and symptoms of anxiety were the strongest predictors of quality of life. However, marital status and symptoms of depression did not significantly predict quality of life. Lastly, our results did not support the hypothesis that anxiety moderates the relationship between employment status and quality of life. We think it is vital to implement routine screening tests to detect early indications of anxiety and depression. These findings highlight that there is a definite need to provide long-term support for brain cancer survivors, in the form of cognitive behavioural therapy, practical support or specialised psycho-oncology support.