BACKGROUND:The assessment of mood and anxiety disorders secondary to cancer by using easy-to-administer instruments has been the object of recent research. METHODS:The aim of this study was to examine the accuracy of the short screening tool developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines for Distress Management, (0-10 point-scale Distress Thermometer) (DT) in detecting affective syndrome disorders in Italian cancer patients. The sample consisted of 109 cancer outpatients who were administered the ICD-10 psychiatric interview (CIDI), the DT and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS:Forty-four patients (40.4%) met the criteria for an ICD-10 diagnosis of affective syndromes. The DT was significantly associated with HADS-Total score (r=0.66, p=0.001). A cut-off > or = 4 on the DT showed a sensitivity of 79.5% and a specificity of 75.4% (positive predictive value--PPV = 68.6%; negative predictive value--NPV = 84.5%). The cut-off score > or = 10 on the HADS was associated with a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 81.5% (PPV = 76%; NPV = 89.9%). A cut-off score > or = 5 on DT and > or = 15 on HADS maximized sensitivity (78.6% and 85%, respectively) and specificity (83.1% and 96%, respectively) for patients with more severe affective syndromes (major depression, persistent depressive disorders). CONCLUSIONS:The results suggest that simple instruments can be used as feasible tools in the screening of mood and anxiety disorders among cancer patients.