Aim: To describe in detail the psychiatric services provided by a new Department of Psycho-oncology established in a public cancer center in Japan.
Methods: Psychiatric services provided over a period of 2 years by a new Department of Psycho-oncology established in a public cancer center in Japan (Saitama Cancer Center, 400 beds) are described in detail. Statistics on the number of psychiatric consults, departments requesting a consult, the primary site of the cancer, cancer treatment strategies, the existence or absence of metastasis and recurrence, previous cancer treatments (e.g. surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation), and performance status during that 2-year period are also reported.
Results: The Department of Psycho-oncology has a staff psychiatrist who is assisted by a consulting psychiatrist (who visits twice a week). Different departments in the Cancer Center request consults by the Department’s psychiatrists with regard to inpatients and outpatients with psychological problems, and the Department’s psychiatrists provide psychiatric services to those patients. Over a period of 2 years, the Department of Psycho-oncology has had 485 consults in total (357 inpatients, 128 outpatients), and the Department has efficiently initiated and maintained psychiatric services. Details on outcomes will be reported later.
Conclusion: A new Department of Psycho-oncology was established in the Saitama Cancer Center, a public cancer center in Japan. Almost all the departments have consulted the Department of Psycho-oncology in the 2 years since its founding, and the Department has efficiently initiated and maintained psychiatric services for both inpatients and outpatients.