Patient Anxiety Related to Patient-Perceived Delays in Surgical Treatment of Skin Cancer

Abstract

BACKGROUND Patients undergoing dermatologic surgery report higher anxiety levels than those undergoing nonsurgical treatments. However, little is known about the association between patient-perceived delays in skin cancer surgery and patient-reported anxiety. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between patient-perceived delays in surgery and patient-reported anxiety. METHODS & MATERIALS Patients undergoing wide local excision or Mohs micrographic surgery were recruited to complete a survey to assess perception of surgical delay and anxiety related to skin cancer surgery using the validated Psychosocial Screen for Cancer–Revised. Demographic and surgical characteristics were collected through chart review. Chi-square and Student t-tests were used to compare demographic and surgical information between patients who did and did not perceive a surgical delay. Differences in anxiety and depression scores for patients who did and did not report a delay were assessed using univariate and multivariate regressions. RESULTS Twenty-seven percent (N = 33) of patients perceived a surgical delay. Perception of surgical delay was associated with increased time between biopsy and surgery (p = .0001) and increased self-reported anxiety scores after controlling for various demographic and surgical factors (p = .038). CONCLUSION Patient-perceived delays in dermatologic surgery are associated with increased time to surgery and patient-reported anxiety.