About this episode

Experts discuss diagnosing and treating insomnia in cancer patients through various methods.

Experts discuss diagnosing and treating insomnia in patients with cancer through methods like sleep hygiene, CBT-I, and pharmacotherapy. Insomnia is one of the most common symptoms oncologists are asked to manage, yet it’s often treated reactively with medication rather than through a structured, history-driven approach. In this episode of Oncology On the Go , Daniel C. McFarland, DO, sat down with psychiatrist and psycho-oncologist Virginia C. O’Brien, MD, to unpack how clinicians can more effectively evaluate and treat insomnia in patients with cancer. The conversation opened with a foundational distinction: primary vs secondary insomnia, and why secondary insomnia—driven by anxiety, depression, pain, or cancer treatment itself—is far more common in oncology populations. O’Brien emphasized that the most frequent clinical mistake is jumping straight to a prescription instead of taking a thorough sleep history, including which phase of sleep is disrupted (falling asleep, staying asleep, or early waking) and whether the problem is affecting daytime functioning. From there, the discussion moved through practical sleep hygiene strategies clinicians can share with patients, such as…

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