Anxiety and depression commonly occur in people with cancer and can negatively affect their quality of life, adherence to treatment, perception of physical symptoms and survival. The mental wellbeing of family members of patients with cancer can also be affected which, in turn, can affect the long-term health of the patient with cancer. There is little UK information on the proportion of family members of cancer patients diagnosed with mental illness or what proportion is prescribed medication for depression.
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) has identified that research into the psychological impact of cancer on patients and families should be a priority. The aim of this study is to measure the incidence and treatment of anxiety and depression in people diagnosed with cancer as well as their family members. The study will look at 25 different cancer types and will include some rarer forms of cancer that typically occur in children. This study will examine if the incidence and treatment of anxiety and depression differs by type of cancer, cancer stage at diagnosis, time after cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, age, sex, ethnicity and geography. The study will also examine the proportion of patients and direct family members who are diagnosed with or prescribed drugs for depression and/or anxiety. This information will help to prioritise future work in this area to help specific patient groups and family members.
Anxiety and depression commonly occur in people with cancer. Patients with cancer and comorbid depression have higher levels of anxiety, pain, fatigue and functioning than other patients with cancer, overall negatively affecting their quality of life. Depression, either before or after a cancer diagnosis, is also known to be a risk factor for cancer mortality.
Our aim is to describe the incidence and pharmacological treatment of anxiety and depression within a cohort of patients with a diagnosis of cancer. The population will also include children with a cancer diagnosis. Survival rates in childhood cancers are high, with a 5-year survival rate of 83% for those diagnosed in 2008-2012 and the management of co-morbidities, like depression, are important.
Previous small studies have shown that the mental wellbeing of family members and caregivers of patients with cancer is affected negatively by a cancer diagnosis, which, in turn, can affect the long term physical health of the cancer patients. We also aim to describe the incidence and treatment of anxiety and depression in family members. Family members will be selected through a ‘family number identifier’. Descriptive statistics will be used to calculate incidence rates of anxiety and depression 25 types of cancer, and to calculate the proportion of cancer patients who receive antidepressants and/or anxiolytics following a cancer diagnosis.
Cancer is rapidly becoming a chronic disease for an increasing number of people; in the UK alone more than 3 million people are expected to have a diagnosis of cancer by 2030. Population-based estimates of the incidence and treatment of anxiety and depression among cancer patients as well as their family members, will provide clinicians and other stakeholders more understanding of the scale of the problem. The results of the study can be used to prioritise and guide further work.
Primary care diagnoses (READ codes) of anxiety and depression in cancer patients; GP prescription rates of anxiolytics and anti-depressants in cancer patients; Primary care diagnoses (READ codes) of anxiety and depression in direct family members of cancer patients; prescription rates of anxiolytics and anti-depressants in direct family members
Ruth Brauer - Chief Investigator - University College London ( UCL )
Man-Chie Chow - Corresponding Applicant - Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Ian Wong - Collaborator - University College London ( UCL )
Martin Forster - Collaborator - University College London ( UCL )
Pinkie Chambers - Collaborator - University College London ( UCL )
NCRAS Cancer Registration Data;NCRAS Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatment (SACT) data;ONS Death Registration Data;Patient Level Index of Multiple Deprivation;Practice Level Index of Multiple Deprivation