The Existential Plight in Cancer: Significance of the First 100 Days

TLDR

The Existential Plight in cancer is a poorly recognized but significant period that begins with diagnosis and lasts about 100 days, dominated by life/death concerns over health worries. The study interviewed 120 newly diagnosed patients from roughly ten days after diagnosis, following them every 4–6 weeks for 3–4 months while assessing coping strategies, problem resolution, vulnerability, mood disturbance, and predominant concerns. Higher emotional distress during this period was associated with regret, pessimism, family and marital problems, and increased vulnerability—especially among widowed or divorced patients and those lacking support—showing that psychosocial distress crosses diagnostic and prognostic boundaries and can partially predict coping outcomes.

Abstract

The Existential Plight in cancer is a poorly recognized but significant period. It starts with the definite diagnosis and continues for two to three months into the illness, approximately 100 days. The chief signs are the predominance of life/death concerns, even over worries about health or physical symptoms. One hundred and twenty newly diagnosed cancer patients were interviewed, tested, and followed from about ten days after diagnosis at four to six week intervals until three to four months had elapsed. Plight was analyzed from the viewpoint of coping strategies, resolution of problems, vulnerability, total mood disturbance, and predominant concerns. Patients who had higher emotional distress during this period had many regrets about the past, were pessimistic, came from a multiproblem family, and had marital problems. The widowed or divorced had higher vulnerability, as did patients who anticipated little or no support from significant others. Although vulnerability increased with advanced staging and many symptoms, at the time of diagnosis psychosocial distress crossed diagnostic and prognostic boundaries, enabling investigation to predict within limits those patients who will cope effectively or fail to cope with cancer and its ramifications.