MNCLHD

MNCLHD

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Cancer patients require better treatment for depression

Findings from three research studies have shown that around three quarters of cancer patients who suffer from major depression do not receive treatment for their depression and that a newly developed medical program has proven more effective than standard care at reducing depression in these patients.
As reported in The Lancet Psychiatry, a data analysis of more than 21,000 patients across clinics in Scotland, UK, found that the frequency of major depression among cancer patients ranged from 6% in those with genitourinary cancer to 13% among those with lung cancer. However, almost three quarters of patients with major depression were not receiving any treatment to address the problem.
The second paper published in The Lancet, reports on findings form the SMaRT Oncology-2 randomised trial which examined the effects of a new medical programme called “Depression Care for People with Cancer” (DCPC).
A further study published in The Lancet Oncology describes a version of the DCPC that was adjusted for lung cancer patients with major depression who had a poor rather than good cancer prognosis.
CIAP users can access the full text of The Lancet and Lancet Oncology. Contact your library for access to Lancet Psychiatry.

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