TURKISH JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY
2022 , Vol 37 , Num 4
Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Process on Oncology Patients
1Department of Preventive Oncology, Istanbul University, Oncology Institute, Istanbul-Türkiye
DOI :
10.5505/tjo.2022.3779
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the world as an important health problem for the past 2
years, has brought about high morbidity and mortality rates for cancer patients, and therefore, cancer
patients have been defined as a vulnerable group in terms of the pandemic. With the rapid spread of
COVID-19, many cancer patients had difficulty in accessing health services, were faced with the postponement
or delay of their treatment and controls, or postponed their applications to health institutions
for fear of COVID-19. As a result of the research, during this period, it was observed that the incidence of
anxiety and depression increased in cancer patients and they experienced high levels of fear and distress
associated with COVID-19. Among the main sources of these psychological problems are concerns about
not being able to access health services, information needs, and problems related to caring, as well as fear
of coronavirus sensitivity, difficulty tolerating uncertainty, and feeling lonely in relation to living socially
isolated come to the fore. Understanding the psychological effect of COVID-19 on cancer patients can
assist in planning care and meeting the psychological support needs of cancer patients during future crises.
Keywords :
Cancer; COVID-19; fear of COVID-19; loneliness, uncertainty