Janicsák H, Ungvari GS, Gazdag G. Psychosocial aspects of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. World J Transplant 2021; 11(7): 263-276 [PMID: 34316451 DOI: 10.5500/wjt.v11.i7.263]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Gábor Gazdag, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Jahn Ferenc South Pest Hospital, Köves út 1, Budapest 1204, Hungary. gazdag@lamb.hu
Research Domain of This Article
Transplantation
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Transplant. Jul 18, 2021; 11(7): 263-276 Published online Jul 18, 2021. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v11.i7.263
Psychosocial aspects of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Henrietta Janicsák, Gabor S Ungvari, Gábor Gazdag
Henrietta Janicsák, Gábor Gazdag, Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Jahn Ferenc South Pest Hospital, Budapest 1204, Hungary
Gabor S Ungvari, Division of Psychiatry, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle 6009, Australia
Gabor S Ungvari, Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
Gábor Gazdag, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest 1083, Hungary
Author contributions: This review of the literature was Gazdag G’s idea; Janicsák H performed 80%, Gazdag G 20% of the literature search and the preparation of the first draft; Ungvari GS reviewed, commented on and corrected the manuscript; all authors approved the final version of the text.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Gábor Gazdag, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Jahn Ferenc South Pest Hospital, Köves út 1, Budapest 1204, Hungary. gazdag@lamb.hu
Received: February 26, 2021 Peer-review started: February 26, 2021 First decision: May 5, 2021 Revised: May 18, 2021 Accepted: June 18, 2021 Article in press: June 18, 2021 Published online: July 18, 2021
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has become a conventional and potentially curative treatment for various hematological diseases. As more sophisticated procedures have been developed and mortality rates have decreased, attention has shifted to the psychosocial challenges associated with transplantation. The psychosocial difficulties accompanying transplantation are addressed in the context of both quality of life (QOL) and psychopathological research. Among the psychiatric comorbidities of HSCT, anxiety, depression, sleep and sexual disorders, delirium and post-traumatic stress disorder are the most studied conditions. Recently, more attention has been focused on the psychosocial burden of caregivers. Devising recommendations for the management of psychiatric symptoms and psychosocial interventions in HSCT sufferers and close relatives is a major concern to consultation–liaison psychiatrists and transplant teams. This review synthesizes and critically evaluates the current literature on the psychosocial aspects of HSCT and appraises the clinical significance of these outcomes. Issues of QOL assessment; psychosocial functioning and QOL in the course of HSCT; impact of graft-versus-host disease and other predictors of QOL and psychosocial functioning; comorbid psychiatric disorders; and interventions to maintain or improve QOL and reduce psychopathology and psychosocial burden on family members are presented.
Core Tip: Over recent decades more attention has shifted to the psychosocial challenges associated with transplantation. The psychosocial difficulties accompanying transplantation are addressed in the context of both quality of life (QOL) and psychopathological research. Recently, more attention has been focused on the psychosocial burden of caregivers and psychosocial interventions in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) sufferers and close relatives. This review synthesizes the major issues on psychosocial aspects of HSCT including QOL research, psychosocial adaptation for HSCT, psychiatric comorbidities, and psychosocial interventions to improve QOL and reduce psychopathology in HSCT patients and close relatives.
