Cancer mortality in Common Mental Disorders: A 10-year retrospective cohort study

Individuals with Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) may have a higher cancer mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine cancer-related mortality among patients with CMDs and verify which cancer types are predominantly involved.

We used the Regional Mental Health Registry of the Emilia-Romagna region, in Northern Italy to identify patients aged ≥ 18 years who received an ICD 9-CM diagnosis of CMDs (i.e., depressive and neurotic disorders) over a 10 year period (2008-2017). Information on cause of death was retrieved from the Regional Cause of Death Registry. Comparisons were made with data from the regional population without CMDs.

Among 101,487 patients suffering from CMDs (55.7% depression; 44.3% neurotic disorders), 3,087 (37.8%) died from neoplasms. The total standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was 1.82 (95% CI 1.78-1.86) while the SMR for all neoplasms was 2.08 (95% CI 2.01-2.16). Individuals of both genders, with both depressive and neurotic disorders had a higher risk of death from almost all cancers compared with the regional population.

Patients with CMDs have considerably higher cancer mortality risk than the general population. Higher mortality was observed for a broad range of cancers associated with different aetiologies. It is imperative to promote cancer awareness, prevention and treatment for people with CMDs.