Depression appears to somewhat heighten the risk of breast
cancer, but it has no significant association with lung, colon or
prostate cancer, according to a review of the medical literature
conducted by Dutch researchers.
"Depression is related to a slightly increased risk of cancer,"
investigator Dr Marjan van den Akker told Reuters Health. "The
relation with breast cancer gets stronger with a longer follow-up
period."
Van den Akker, of Maastricht University, and colleagues came to
this conclusion after examining data from 13 studies involving more
than 127,000 patients. Their findings are published in the journal
Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental
Health.
Based on eight studies with complete data, the researchers
calculated that the overall risk of cancer was increased by 12
percent in individuals with depression.
Based on data from seven studies that looked at a mixture of
factors, no significant association was seen between depression and
the development of breast cancer.
However, analysis of a subgroup of studies that included at
least 10 years of follow-up showed a significant association --
patients with depression had a 2.5-fold increased risk of
developing breast cancer compared with undepressed patients.
"With the evidence available at this moment, it's difficult to
disentangle the possible effects of depression and antidepressants
on the occurrence of subsequent cancer," continued van den Akker.
"It's not yet possible to translate these results into preventive
interventions," she concluded.
(Agencies via China Daily December 24, 2007)