Mortality Risks Associated with Depression in Men with Prostate Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Prostate cancer (PC) patients exhibit a higher incidence of depression.
• The impact of depression on long-term survival in PC survivors remains under-investigated.
• Understanding this association is vital for enhancing patient care and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the link between major depression and mortality rates in a nationwide cohort of men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
• To quantify the association between depression and both all-cause and PC-specific mortality.

Main Methods:

• A national cohort study included 180,189 men diagnosed with PC in Sweden (1998-2017).
• Major depression diagnoses were identified from nationwide health records.
• Cox regression and competing risks models were employed to analyze mortality, adjusting for relevant covariates.

Main Results:

• Major depression was diagnosed in 9% of PC patients during 1.3 million person-years of follow-up.
• An adjusted 50% increased risk of all-cause mortality was observed in men with PC and major depression (HR 1.50-1.64).
• Increased PC-specific mortality was also associated with major depression (HR 1.35-1.42).

Conclusions:

• Major depression is significantly associated with increased all-cause and prostate cancer-specific mortality in men with PC.
• These findings underscore the necessity for prompt identification and management of depression in PC patients.
• Timely intervention for depression can potentially improve long-term survival and outcomes for men with prostate cancer.