Photo Credit: Melitas

Patients with rare cancers have poor psychological outcomes, according to a review and meta-analysis published in eClinicalMedicine. Valerie Yang Shiwen, PhD, and colleagues conducted a systematic review of studies that evaluated the prevalence, incidence, and risk for depression, anxiety, suicide, and PTSD in patients with rare cancers (32 studies; 57,470 patients). The researchers identified a significant increased risk ratio (RR) for depression and anxiety (RRs, 2.61 and 2.66, respectively) for patients with rare cancer versus healthy controls. The incidence of suicide was high (315 per 100,000 person-years), as were the prevalence rates of depression (17%), anxiety (20%), and PTSD (18%). Suicide incidence and PTSD prevalence were significantly higher for patients with rare cancers versus common cancers. “Urgent interventions and further research are warranted to elucidate additional risk and protective factors to devise targeted strategies to alleviate the burden of depression and anxiety in these vulnerable people,” Dr. Yang and colleagues wrote.