Comparative psychological disturbance in patients with pancreatic and gastric cancer.

One hundred and seven patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and 111 patients with advanced gastric cancer, stratified for key medical and sociodemographic variables, were assessed with the Profile of Mood States before beginning combination chemotherapy in a national cancer clinical trials group. The pancreatic cancer patients had significantly higher self-ratings of depression, tension-anxiety, fatigue, confusion-bewilderment, and total mood disturbance; no difference was found in vigor or anger-hostility. These data support prior observations that patients with advanced pancreatic cancer experience significantly greater general psychological disturbance than patients with another type of advanced abdominal neoplasm.