Depressed head and neck Cancer patients have higher recurrence risk

Depression is a significant predictor of five-year survival and recurrence in head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The research team focused their analysis on a single cancer type. By limiting the sample set and adjusting for factors known to affect outcome, such as age, tumor size and previous chemotherapy, they were able to uncover a more profound effect of depression.
The researchers followed 130 MD Anderson patients newly diagnosed with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a type of head and neck cancer in which the tumor originates at the back of the throat and base of the tongue.
At the beginning of their radiation therapy, patients completed a validated questionnaire to identify those with symptoms of clinical depression. Researchers monitored the participants, all of whom completed treatment, until their last clinic visit or death, a median period of five years.
Depression was the only factor shown to have a significant impact on survival.
Patients scoring as depressed on the questionnaire were three-and-one-half times less likely to have survived to the five-year interval, compared to those who were not depressed on this scale. The degree of depression was also found to be significant, as every unit increase on this scale resulted in a 10 percent higher risk for reduced survival.
The results were replicated with a different psychological health survey and were not influenced by how soon following diagnosis the depression assessment was done.