Depression affects survival from cancer

By Geoff Michaels, May 4th, 2013 | Lifestyle | 0 Comments

People who were depressed one year after a cancer diagnosis were less likely to survive, according to a study.
The role of a person’s mental state in cancer is controversial. Some studies have shown that stress and coping style play a role in survival and others have failed to confirm this. Researchers at the University of Rochester show that depression appears to be an important factor in cancer prognosis.

They looked at 205 cancer patients - nearly half with breast cancer - over a ten year period. They screened for symptoms of depression one year after diagnosis. At the end of the study, 125 patients were still alive, while the rest had died from cancer-related causes. Those with depression were less likely to survive than those who were not depressed. It may be that treatment of depression in cancer patients would help them survive longer, although this has yet to be determined.