Disease experience in patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumors
DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2025-9-10-10
Sh.A. Eganian1, P.V. Goncharenko1, N.V. Grineva2, K.A. Iakovenko1, U.A. Tsoy1
1V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
2St. Petersburg University of Technology and Management of Economics, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Aim: to investigate the specific features of disease perception and experience in patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumors.
Materials and Methods: the study cohort comprised 31 patients. All participants diagnosed with pituitary neuroendocrine tumors were undergoing inpatient treatment in the endocrinology department of the V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center. The median age of the cohort was 49 [40; 57] years. Diagnoses included acromegaly in 20 individuals and Cushing's disease in 11; 26 patients had previously undergone neurosurgical treatment. The duration of the disease ranged from 1 to 17 years. The characteristic disease experiences and emotional-personal features were studied using the projective technique "Unfinished Sentences,» developed by I.K. Shats and V.E. Kagan, which is designed for the evaluation of fundamental representations of health and disease and associated experiences in somatic patients. Data processing involved qualitative analysis of the responses combined with quantitative assessment.
Results and Discussion: patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumors demonstrated a significant negative attitude toward their disease, which was primarily attributed to the fear of complications and the risks associated with disability. However, alongside these severe disease-related experiences, the patients exhibited an ambivalent representation of health, an adequate perception of treatment, trusting relations within the doctor-patient dyad, and more positive representations of their future. The patients' attitude toward hospitalization was characterized by ambivalent experiences and was contingent upon whether the admission was primary or repeated. The dominant negative experiences in patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumors were linked to their perception of the disease. This prevalent negativity may potentially impede psychological adaptation, hinder the formation of constructive compliance, and negatively impact the patients' overall emotional state.
Conclusion: knowledge regarding patients' subjective perceptions of the disease significantly enhances the potential for utilizing a personalized approach in the comprehensive treatment of pituitary neuroendocrine diseases.
Keywords: pituitary neuroendocrine tumors, Cushing's disease, acromegaly, disease perception, attitude towards treatment, psychocorrection, personalized approach.
For citation: Eganian Sh.A., Goncharenko P.V., Grineva N.V., Iakovenko K.A., Tsoy U.A. Disease experience in patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumors. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2025;9(10):765–769 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2025-9-10-10
About the authors:
Shushanik A. Eganian — C. Sc. (Psychol.), Researcher of the Research Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center; 2, Akkuratov str., St. Petersburg, 197341, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-5982-7884
Polina V. Goncharenko — Master's Student of the Department of Psychology, Institute of Medical Education, V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center; 2, Akkuratov str., St. Petersburg, 197341, Russian Federation.
Natalya V. Grineva — 4th Year Student, St. Petersburg University of Technology and Management of Economics; 44,
lit. A, Lermontovsky Ave., St. Petersburg, 190020, Russian Federation.
Ksenia A. Iakovenko — Laboratory Researcher of the Research Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, endocrinologist of the Department of Endocrinology, V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center; 2, Akkuratov str., St. Petersburg, 197341, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0003-4395-6689
Ulyana A. Tsoy — C. Sc. (Med.), Head of the Research Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center; 2, Akkuratov str., St. Petersburg, 197341, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0003-4013-4831
Contact information: Shushanik A. Eganian, e-mail: shushanna25@mail.ru
Financial Disclosure: no authors have a financial or property interest in any material or method mentioned.
There is no conflict of interest.
Received 11.08.2025.
Revised 03.09.2025.
Accepted 26.09.2025.
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