This trial showed that the Melanoma Care Programme, which combines mental health screening, education, and telehealth sessions, significantly reduced fear of cancer recurrence, anxiety, depression, and stress, while improving knowledge and quality of life in early-stage melanoma patients.
Objective:
To investigate the effectiveness of the Melanoma Care Programme when implemented into routine clinical practice coupled with fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) screening and a stepped-care model of intervention delivery.
Methods:
Using a Type-I hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, individuals with stage 0-II melanoma and a Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory FCR severity score of ≥ 13 were offered the Melanoma Care Programme. The programme included a psychoeducational booklet and 3 to 5 psychotherapeutic telehealth sessions with a clinical psychologist, timed around routine dermatological appointments. Multivariable linear mixed modelling was used to analyse the effect of the intervention at 1-week post-intervention on patient-reported outcomes, including FCR severity (primary outcome), symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, melanoma-related knowledge, and health-related quality of life.
Results:
One hundred and tw