Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are more than three times more likely to be diagnosed with mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorder, compared with the general public, according to a study presented during the virtual annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Investigators used data from the Utah Cancer Registry to identify 1,689 patients with ovarian cancer diagnosed between 1996 and 2012 and matched them to 7,038 women without cancer. Electronic health records were used to identify new mental health diagnoses following cancer diagnosis. Ovarian cancer survivors experienced increased risks for mental illnesses, particularly within the first 2 years after cancer diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR], 3.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.98-4.05), compared with the general population. Within the first 2 years after diagnosis, the risks for depression among ovarian cancer survivors were highest (HR, 3.11; 95% CI, 2.53-3.83) and dropped for years 2-5 after cancer diagnosis (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.17-2.38). Results were similar for the risk for anxiety disorder (years 0-2: HR, 3.54 [95% CI, 2.87-4.38]; years 2-5: HR, 1.86 [95% CI, 1.14-3.01]). The risk for adjustment disorders also was elevated in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer compared with women in the general population. Patients with ovarian cancer who received a mental health diagnosis (HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.48-2.18) or a depression diagnosis (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.56-2.40) were more likely to die compared with those without a mental health diagnosis.
