Cancer and depression: a prospective study

Cancer diagnosis and treatment often produce psychologic stresses resulting from the actual symptoms of the disease, as well as from perceptions of the disease and its stigma. Depression is seen in many cancer patients. Depression occurs in approximately 25% of palliative care patients. It is widely recognised by clinicians that depression is a difficult symptom to identify amongst patients with advanced illness. The study is aimed for screening of depression among palliative care female patients. This study was local, prospective and cross-sectional. It was carried at Department of Clinical Oncology and Radiation Therapy of Charles University Hospital in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. Dates were obtained during year 2007 - 2008 in 64 palliative care female patients. The mean age for all 64 subjects was 60,5 years old (aged 29 - 88 years old). The Czech version of Zung self-rating depression scale was performed. The statistical evaluation presents that mean SDS (self-rating depression score) certifies the presence of signs of mildly depression among palliative care female patients (SDS range was 50-59). The mean SDS in all subjects was 56. The mean SDS in group of healthy females was 38,9 (normal range). The incidence of depression is 71,8% (46 of all 64 subjects). The relevance of depression is characterized: severely depressed was proved in 8 of all 46 subjects, the moderately depressed in 21 subjects of all 46 subjects and mildly depressed in 17 of all 46 subjects. The statistical evaluation not presents statistically significant dependence of SDS on smoking abuse, marital status, age, number of associated diseases and type of palliative care. The statistical evaluation presents that patients with cancer of lung, with cancer of endometrium, with cancer of gallbladder and with melanomas are moderately depressed (SDS 60-69), patients with cancer of ovary, with cancer of breast, with primary brain tumour, with cancer of ventricle, with cancer of pancreas head and with cancer of bucall cavity are mildly depressed (SDS 50-59). The results show that subsists clear association between oncological disease in palliative care and depression.