Mental Disorders Associated with Recent Cancer Diagnosis: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey - mallet 2018

A cancer diagnosis may increase the chance of mental illnesses. However, except from the cancer diagnosis, no other predictor predicts the start of a mental problem in this scenario. It is unknown whether patients with a history of mental illness are at a higher risk. Data were gathered from a large nationwide sample of the US population. During the 2012-2013 period, 36309 adults were polled in person. Data were utilized to investigate the relationships between the past-year prevalence of mental disorders (according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5), treatment-seeking rates, and a recent cancer diagnosis. Data were analyzed based on participants' antecedents of mental disorders and the presence of a recent cancer diagnosis. Participants recently diagnosed with cancer (n = 1300) had a significantly higher risk of attempting suicide (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.52; 95% CI = 1.23-10.04), post-traumatic stress disorder (AOR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.71-2.96), bipolar disorder (AOR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.46-3.38), and drug use disorder (AOR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.13-3.39 The prevalence of most of the mental disorders studied was considerably higher in persons with a history of mental disorder compared to participants without such a history. In contrast, a recent cancer diagnosis was not related with substantial variations in the frequency of mental illnesses in persons with no history of mental issue. Patients with a history of mental illness who receive a cancer diagnosis are at increased risk of relapse and should be continuously followed.

Mallet J, Huillard O, Goldwasser F, Dubertret C, Le Strat Y. Mental disorders associated with recent cancer diagnosis: Results from a nationally representative survey. Eur J Cancer. 2018 Dec;105:10-18. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2018.09.038. Epub 2018 Oct 30. PMID: 30388660.