The study by Carlson et al. (2004) aimed to assess the levels of distress, common psychosocial problems, and awareness of psychosocial support services among a large sample of cancer patients. The study involved 3095 patients over a 4-week period, with full data available from 2776 patients. On average, patients were 60 years old, predominantly Caucasian, and middle-class. The study found that 37.8% of patients met criteria for general distress, with higher rates among men for somatisation and women for depression. Minority patients, those with lower incomes, and those on active treatment were more likely to be distressed. Lung, pancreatic, head and neck, Hodgkin's disease, and brain cancer patients reported the highest levels of distress. Despite this, almost half of the distressed patients had not sought professional psychosocial support and did not plan to do so in the future. The study highlights the need for better integration of psychosocial care into routine clinical practice and the development of more effective treatment models to address distress in cancer patients.The study by Carlson et al. (2004) aimed to assess the levels of distress, common psychosocial problems, and awareness of psychosocial support services among a large sample of cancer patients. The study involved 3095 patients over a 4-week period, with full data available from 2776 patients. On average, patients were 60 years old, predominantly Caucasian, and middle-class. The study found that 37.8% of patients met criteria for general distress, with higher rates among men for somatisation and women for depression. Minority patients, those with lower incomes, and those on active treatment were more likely to be distressed. Lung, pancreatic, head and neck, Hodgkin's disease, and brain cancer patients reported the highest levels of distress. Despite this, almost half of the distressed patients had not sought professional psychosocial support and did not plan to do so in the future. The study highlights the need for better integration of psychosocial care into routine clinical practice and the development of more effective treatment models to address distress in cancer patients.