In the latest MJA Supplement, Allison Boyes has published a paper entitled, Anxiety and depression among long-term survivors of cancer in Australia: results of a population-based survey. MJA 2009; 190 (7): S94-S98.
"The psychological morbidity associated with cancer is significant, with evidence suggesting that 15%–23% of cancer patients experience clinically significant anxiety and 20%–35% experience depression. ...With the overall rate of death from cancer declining, the number of people living with or beyond cancer is growing; it is estimated that there are about 340 000 cancer survivors in Australia, representing about 2% of the population. For many, cancer becomes a chronic disease, yet relatively little is known about the psychological wellbeing of long-term cancer survivors (those surviving more than 5 years)."
The results of the study are quite optimistic, with long-term survivors seeming to have a similar rate of depression or anxiety to the general population. There is a small group, however, who continue to suffer adverse psychological effects and do need ongoing support.
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