Depression can damage a cancer patient’s chances of survival, a review of research suggests.

The University of British Columbia team said the finding emphasised the need to screen cancer patients carefully for signs of psychological distress.
The study, a review of 26 separate studies including 9,417 patients, features in the journal Cancer.
It found death rates were up to 25% higher in patients showing symptoms of depression. …continue reading

Source: BBC

The BBC news reports today on research from Indiana University which analysed data on 3.8m people diagnosed with cancer between 1973 and 2004. The study found that married people are more likely to survive cancer, whereas those going through a break-up have the worst chance of beating it.
Also that people who were married had a 63% chance of surviving five years, compared to 45% of people who were separated, the journal Cancer reported. The team said the stress of break-up probably affected survival rates.continue reading
Source: BBC News

Long-term survivors of cancer that developed in adulthood are at increased risk of experiencing serious psychological distress, according to a report in the July 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Long-term survivors of cancer that developed in adulthood are at increased risk of experiencing serious psychological distress, according to a report in the July 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. [continue reading…]