Persistence of the benefits of a structured psychiatric intervention for breast cancer patients with lymph node metastases

The aim of this study was to investigate the persistence of clinical effectiveness of a 5 week structured group intervention program for Japanese breast cancer patients. A total of 47 patients with breast cancer completed the full program. The results of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) scores were compared before, immediately after, and 6 months after the intervention program. As analysed by POMS scores, the clinical effectiveness of a structured group intervention program persisted for 6 months for patients without nodal metastases. In contrast, the intervention program did not show a lasting effect for patients with nodal metastases. This study demonstrated the short-term effectiveness of structured interventions among Japanese cancer patients, but persistence of the effects of intervention was found only among patients without nodal metastases. For patients with nodal metastases, additional intervention would be needed.