Women with gynecologic cancers, including endometrial cancer (EC), who have depression and anxiety disorders tend to have poorer prognoses, according to findings recently published in Healthcare.
“These findings support the integration of routine psychological screening and timely intervention into gynecologic oncology practice to improve not only emotional well-being but also survival outcomes,” the authors wrote.
Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health conditions in people with cancer. Some studies have shown that these conditions can contribute to cancer progression by causing chronic stress and interfering with patients’ ability to adhere to their treatment plans.
The study included 85,327 women from South Korea who were diagnosed with either cervical, endometrial or ovarian cancer between 2007 and 2014. Of these patients, 612 were diagnosed with depression and 172 had anxiety disorders.
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Findings revealed that patients with depression or anxiety tended to be older, have poorer cognitive function and have significantly longer hospitals stays than those without mental health conditions. Additionally, individuals with depression were more likely to live in metropolitan areas and have lower economic status.
Notably, the 5-year mortality rate was 38.4% in those with depression or anxiety, compared to 29.9% in patients without these conditions. After adjusting for several potential confounding variables including cognitive function, age, cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels, participants with depression or anxiety had 47% higher odds of mortality than those without.
Further analysis showed that the odds of mortality were 46% higher in participants with depression than those without mental health conditions. However, anxiety alone was not a significant predictor of mortality.
The authors caution that these results do not necessarily confirm a causal link between depression, anxiety and mortality.
“Further research should explore the efficacy of targeted psychological interventions and antidepressant treatments in reducing mortality risk, guiding comprehensive care strategies for women facing gynecologic malignancies,” they concluded.
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