A relatively brief screening test can identify adult survivors of childhood cancer who would benefit from mental-health evaluation, according to an article in the March 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"When people who have been treated for cancer visit their doctor or a survivor clinic, there's a vast amount of material to cover: their physical health, emotional health, nutrition, the state of their relationships with their families, their work life," said lead author, Christopher Recklitis, Ph.D., M.P.H. "To make the best use of patients' and caregivers' time, we found it helpful to have an advance idea of which patients are having emotional difficulties, so their needs can be addressed promptly. "

In the current study, researchers wanted to find whether it is practical to administer a screening questionnaire in a clinical setting and whether the questionnaire is helpful in identifying cancer survivors who should receive additional mental-health evaluation.

Investigators gave screening questionnaires to 101 adult survivors of childhood cancer while they waited for scheduled appointments: The questionnaire was a customized version of a standard mental-health screening test. Survivors completed them while waiting for their appointments.

Almost all of the respondents completed the questionnaire in less than 30 minutes, and 64 percent indicated the survey would be "very" or "moderately" helpful in educating clinicians about their emotional states.

About 30 percent had scores that indicated distress sufficient to merit further assessment and treatment. Researchers found that patients whose screening scores indicated one of three factors--- dissatisfaction with physical appearance, poor physical health, or history of cranial radiation--- had an increased risk for significant emotional distress.

"These results will help reach out to patients who are most likely to be distressed," said Recklitis. "Although this screening instrument was studied only in the setting of the Perini Clinic [Dana-Farber Cancer Center], we hope to develop it for use at other clinics as well."