How depression affects your chances of survival. Which women are more loaded?
Breast cancer is treated in women who manage with good mood. On the contrary, depression can reduce the chances of survival, US scientists say.
In a new study, they found that patients who suffer from depression are three times more likely to die than those who do not suffer from it.
«Breast cancer seems especially dangerous when it is combined with depression“, he said leading researcher Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani, Professor of Public Health, New Mexico State University. “The coexistence of the two diseases reduces the survival time from cancer. Unfortunately, many women with this condition do not receive treatment for mental health issues such as depression“.
New findings Published in the medical journal Brain Sciences. More than one in three women with breast cancer experience clinical depression, the researchers wrote. However, their potential role in long-term cancer outcomes has not been sufficiently investigated.
New research
To fill this gap, scientists looked at data from 4,719 women aged 45 and older. 5.1% of them were diagnosed with breast cancer, 5.1% were diagnosed with depression, and 12.7% were diagnosed with depression.
The researchers looked at patients’ outcomes 7.5 years after their cancer diagnosis. As they discovered, compared to their healthy peers cancer patients average 50% more likely to die during the monitoring period. especiallyduring the monitoring period:
- 35.2% of women suffering from cancer died
- 19.8% of those who do not suffer from the disease
But like many patients they were also depressed at the same timewere 3 times more likely to die.
Which ones are most at risk?
The risk of death was not the same in all subgroups of patients. They were in danger more:
- Those with a lower income or education level
- People suffering from other chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases)
- Those who lead an unhealthy lifestyle
- Those belonging to minorities
Aggravating role other factors such as anemia, smoking, age and marital status also appeared to play a role.
«Breast cancer is very common and we all know or will know a patient in our lifetime“, emphasized Dr. Khubchandani. “Most likely, they will have a difficult mental state, perhaps the quality of life. This is mainly due to the fact that they are not given comprehensive care, including psychological care, to fight cancer better..