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Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychoeducation Program for Patients with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

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Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) account for 0.2–3% of all cancer diagnoses and are thus considered a rare type of cancer. Severe levels of fatigue occur in 33% of patients on imatinib, but besides treatment, fatigue is also associated with psychological distress. As far as we know, only one previous study has reported on the design of a psychoeducational intervention for caregivers and patients with GIST. The current study was conducted to compare the preliminary effectiveness of an Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral stress management intervention and psychoeducation program for anxiety, depression, fatigue, and quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). This study had an experimental pre-test post-test design with a control group. Ninety-nine patients were randomly allocated to an Internet-delivered cognitive program (n = 50) or psychoeducation control group (n = 49). Participants completed the questionnaires at three time points (pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up). Twenty-seven participants completed the intervention. A significant interaction effect between groups and time was found for general fatigue [F(2, 28) = 8.2, p < 0.001, ƞ2p = 0.25], reduced motivation [F(2, 28) = 3.5, p < 0.05, ƞ2p = 0.12], distress [F(2, 28) = 3.4, p < 0.05, ƞ2p = 0.12], and global health status [F(2, 28) = 3.8, p < 0.05, ƞ2p = 0.13]. Both intervention programs showed reductions in the dimensions of fatigue and improvements in distress and dimensions of quality of life. Additional research on a larger sample size is needed to confirm the effects obtained in this study.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to extend our thanks to Rodrigo Salas Benavides and María de la Paz Mastretta of Foundation GIST Mexico who supported and provided feedback on the design and development this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology School, Fundación GIST Mexico, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico

    Edelmira Berenice Carbajal-López

  2. Psychology School, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico

    Dehisy Marisol Juárez-García

  3. Health Psychology Unit, Center for Research and Development in Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Dr. Carlos Canseco s/n, Mitras Centro, 64460, Monterrey, NL, Mexico

    Dehisy Marisol Juárez-García

  4. UMAE High Specialty Hospital 25, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico

    Absalón Espinoza-Velazco

  5. Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Ciudad de México, Mexico

    German Calderillo-Ruiz

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  1. Edelmira Berenice Carbajal-López
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Correspondence to Dehisy Marisol Juárez-García.

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Carbajal-López, E.B., Juárez-García, D.M., Espinoza-Velazco, A. et al. Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychoeducation Program for Patients with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors. J Canc Educ 37, 668–674 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01866-3

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