[Cancer and suicide. Review of the literature]

On the basis of the available literature about cancer and suicide, it is concluded that patients with cancer show a moderately increased risk of committing suicide. This risk is greatest during the first year after diagnosis of the disease. The forms of cancer which most frequently involves suicide are cancer in the gastro-intestinal canal in men and cancer of the breast and genitalia in women. Points of view as to how the risk of suicide in these patients may be reduced are presented and discussed.