Impact of structured oncologist-led home visits on psychological distress and resilience in patients with solid tumors undergoing chemotherapy: A comparative study.

Abstract

12089 Background: Psychological distress is prevalent among patients receiving chemotherapy. Home-based supportive interventions have the potential to address early psychosocial needs; however, data regarding their impact on both distress and resilience remain limited. Methods: Between March 1 and December 1, 2025, chemotherapy-naïve patients with solid tumors were invited to participate in a home-based supportive care study. Patients who opted for the intervention received a structured home visit by a medical oncologist following each of the first two chemotherapy cycles. These visits included patient-led discussions where the oncologist addressed questions regarding disease staging, prognosis, treatment protocols, and anticipated side effects. Before each chemotherapy cycle, patients completed self-reported assessments of psychological distress and resilience. Distress was measured using the Distress Thermometer (scale 0–10), with scores ≥4 categorized as high distress. Resilience was evaluated using the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, a unidimensional instrument where items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate greater resilience. The control group consisted of patients who did not receive home visits; they completed the same assessments during routine clinic visits. In both cohorts, breast, lung, and colorectal cancers were the most frequent diagnoses. Distress and resilience outcomes were analyzed within each group across three time points using Cochran’s Q and Friedman test. Results: The intervention group included 66 patients (12 male, 54 female) with a mean age of 58 years (SD ±13.58). The proportion of patients reporting high distress decreased progressively: 72.7% at baseline, 53.0% after the first visit, and 45.5% after the second visit ( p < 0.001). Mean distress scores also declined significantly from 4.91 ± 2.79) at baseline to 3.55 ± 2.71) and 3.53 ± 2.59) following the first and second visits, respectively (p < 0.001). In contrast, mean resilience scores remained stable (30.26 ±7.06, 29.95 ± 8.82, and 28.24 ± 12.12; p = 0.72).The control group included 145 patients (39 male, 106 female) with a mean age of 58 years (SD ± 12.58). In this group, the prevalence of distress remained relatively stable across the three assessments: 66.2% at baseline, 57.9% at the second assessment, and 56.6% at the third (p = 0.074). Mean distress scores showed minimal variation: 4.45 ±, 4.08 ±, and 4.09 ±, respectively (p = 0.163). Mean resilience scores exhibited a downward trend from 30.19 ± 7.74) to 27.03 ± 12.20) and 25.52 ± 13.21), though this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.076). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that oncologist-led home visits during the early stages of chemotherapy can significantly reduce psychological distress in cancer patients while preserving resilience.