SAN DIEGO, Sept. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A
new study of patients at an urban cancer center points to a
potentially serious problem that may limit the impact of clinical
cancer care—undiagnosed depression. Among the 40 percent of
patients at the center who were diagnosed with depression, three in
four had not previously been told they were depressed. Female
patients and disabled patients also were more likely to be
depressed, according to research presented today at the 59th Annual
Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
A web of physiological, psychological and socioeconomic factors
associated with having and being treated for cancer—such as severe
physical pain, side effects of medication, financial concerns,
fears and anxieties about mortality and changes in lifestyle and
life plans—place cancer patients at a higher risk of developing
depression. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that 15
to 25 percent of the general cancer patient population has
depression—a rate two to three times that of the general
population. Approximately seven percent of U.S. adults experience
major depression, according to the National Institutes for Mental
Health (NIMH).
"Depression prevalence continues to be high among cancer
patients, especially those receiving treatment at an urban cancer
center, as well as those who identify as female or are disabled by
their disease. Alarmingly, most of these patients remain
undiagnosed and untreated, indicating an important gap in cancer
care and an opportunity to improve patient outcomes," said
Jason Domogauer, PhD, lead author of
the study and an MD/PhD candidate at Rutgers
University New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey.
Findings in this study are based on an examination of 400 cancer
patients who received treatment at the University Hospital Cancer
Center in Newark, New Jersey,
between 2013 and 2016. Researchers assessed depression using a
minimum score of 16 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies
Depression Scale.
The average patient age was 55 years (range 20-86 years), and 53
percent of patients were female. The racial/ethnic breakdown of
patients was 48 percent African-American, 29 percent non-Hispanic
white and 16 percent Hispanic. Nearly equal numbers of patients
reported being able to work (including those working full-time,
part-time and unemployed) (49%) or being unable to work due to
disability (51%). Most patients (85%) received radiation therapy as
part of their cancer treatment.
Depression was diagnosed in 40 percent of the patients at this
urban cancer center, which is roughly twice as large as the NCI
estimate of 15 to 25 percent for the general cancer patient
population. Moreover, depression was previously undiagnosed in
three-fourths of these cases, meaning that roughly 30 percent of
the patients at this cancer center suffered from undiagnosed and
untreated depression.
Depression was more common among female patients (47%) than
among male patients (32%) (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, p = 0.007) and
among patients who were unable to work due to disability (48% vs.
33% of those able to work; OR 1.9, p = 0.005). NIMH statistics for
the general U.S. adult population also point to a higher risk of
depression for women and people with a disability, particularly
among older adults. Depression prevalence did not differ
significantly among racial/ethnic groups. Logistic regression was
used to compare depression prevalence among the patient groups.
Looking specifically at patients who were previously not
diagnosed with depression, the effects of being female or unable to
work persisted. Among this subgroup, depression was more common
among women (43% vs. 29% male; OR 1.9, p = 0.02) and disabled
patients (43% vs. 31% able to work; OR 1.9, p = 0.03).
"Depression is widely recognized as an underdiagnosed disorder,
particularly among older adults and cancer patients. Our findings
point to a clear need for action including depression screening
during initial and continuing patient visits, initiation of mental
health treatments for identified patients and increased
collaboration with mental health providers in cancer treatment
centers. These efforts are particularly important for patients in
urban centers, those who are female and those who are unable to
work because of their disease," said Dr. Domogauer.
The abstract, "Study of total and undiagnosed depression in a
cancer patient population at an urban cancer center," will be
presented in detail during a news briefing and an oral abstract
session at ASTRO's 59th Annual Meeting in San Diego (full details below). To schedule an
interview with Dr. Domogauer and/or outside experts, contact
ASTRO's media relations team on-site at the San Diego Convention Center, September 24 through 27, by phone at 703-286-1600
or by email at press@astro.org.
ATTRIBUTION TO THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY
(ASTRO) ANNUAL MEETING REQUESTED IN ALL COVERAGE.
This news release contains additional and/or updated
information from the study author(s). Full original abstract
and author disclosures available from press@astro.org or at
www.astro.org/annualmeeting.
Study Presentation Details
- Scientific Session: Sunday, September
24, 1:15 – 2:45 p.m. Pacific
time, San Diego Convention
Center, room 7A/B
- News Briefing: Tuesday, September
26, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Pacific
time, San Diego Convention
Center, room 24C, webcast: http://www.bit.do/astro17-3
Resources on Cancer and Radiation Therapy
- Video: An Introduction to Radiation Therapy (Spanish
version)
- Additional brochures, videos and information on radiation
therapy from RTAnswers.org
- ASTRO's clinical practice statements and guidelines
ABOUT ASTRO'S ANNUAL MEETING
ASTRO's 59th Annual
Meeting, the world's largest scientific meeting in radiation
oncology, will be held September 24-27,
2017, at the San Diego
Convention Center. The 2017 Annual Meeting is expected to attract
more than 11,000 attendees from across the globe, including
oncologists from all disciplines and members of the entire
radiation oncology team. More than 2,800 abstracts sharing results
from clinical trials and other research studies will be presented
in conjunction with educational sessions and keynote addresses that
underscore the meeting's theme, "The Healing Art and Science of
Radiation Oncology." Led by ASTRO President Brian Kavanagh, MD, MPH, FASTRO, the 2017
meeting will feature keynote addresses from Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM, Chief Innovation
Officer for the University of Colorado
Health System; Lucy Kalanithi, MD, FACP, widow of Paul Kalanithi,
MD, the best-selling author of "When Breath Becomes Air," with
Heather Wakelee, MD, Paul's
oncologist; and Vinay K. Prasad, MD,
MPH, an assistant professor of medicine at the Oregon Health &
Science University. During the four-day meeting, more than 200
exhibitors will demonstrate cutting-edge technology and medical
device innovations for radiation oncology. Visit us online for more
information about ASTRO's 59th Annual Meeting or
press opportunities at the meeting.
ABOUT ASTRO
The American Society for Radiation
Oncology (ASTRO) is the world's largest radiation oncology society,
with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses,
biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and
other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients
with radiation therapies. The Society is dedicated to improving
patient care through professional education and training, support
for clinical practice and health policy standards,
advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO
publishes three medical journals, International Journal of
Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics
(www.redjournal.org), Practical Radiation Oncology
(www.practicalradonc.org) and Advances in
Radiation Oncology (www.advancesradonc.org);
developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers
(www.rtanswers.org); and created the Radiation
Oncology Institute (www.roinstitute.org), a nonprofit
foundation to support research and education efforts around the
world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation
therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO,
visit www.astro.org and follow us on our
blog, Facebook and
Twitter.
Contact: Liz
Gardner
703-286-1600
liz.gardner@astro.org
Leah Kerkman
Fogarty
703-839-7336
leah.fogarty@astro.org
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SOURCE American Society for Radiation Oncology