Psychological aspects and fertility issues of GTD.

Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) represents a spectrum of rare pregnancy-related disorders, including both premalignant and malignant entities. Although GTD's medical outcomes have been widely explored, limited data are available regarding the related psychological, sexual, and fertility issues. The present chapter aims to enhance comprehension of the psychosocial impact of GTD by discussing the main quantitative and qualitative evidence available in this field. Although patients globally report a good quality of life, clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression have been consistently found across studies. Similarly, despite the quality of couple relationships being generally satisfactory, they often complain of a lack of sexual desire. Moreover, pregnancy loss may raise significant and long-term fertility-related concerns. Specific socio-demographic and clinical factors have been identified as predictors of psychosocial outcomes. At the clinical level, research suggests that there is a need to provide multidisciplinary care to patients.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea in a sample of gynaecological cancer patients: assessment issues and personal risk factors evaluation.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced nausea (CIN) is a relevant problem for gynaecological cancer patients. The evaluation of CIN is a key aspect in its management, along with the identification of associated risk factors. The objective of the study was to compare different measurements of nausea and to investigate personal risk factors in CIN development. METHOD: Eighty-one women treated for gynaecological cancers took part. The presence of CIN was evaluated using the MASCC Antiemesis Tool (MAT) and a patient's report to clinicians at the subsequent chemotherapy cycle. Personal risk factors were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a self-report questionnaire. RESULTS: The study shows that the agreement between patients' assessment of CIN with MAT and what they referred to clinicians was only moderate for acute nausea (Cohen's Kappa = 0.55; p < 0.001), while good for delayed nausea (Cohen's Kappa = 0.68; p < 0.001). At multiple logistic regression analysis, younger age, anticipatory nausea, patient medium-high expectations of CIN, and parity emerged as risk factors for the development of acute nausea (p = 0.0087, 0.0080, 0.0122 and 0.0021, respectively). Patient medium-high expectations of CIN and being single resulted to be risk factors for delayed nausea (p = 0.0397 and 0.0024, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm that personal factors contribute to individual differences in the development of CIN; moreover, we highlight the importance of CIN evaluation by clinicians, underlining the need to use reliable instruments.