(dailyRx)
Let’s face it – being diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer is no picnic. It can be depressing. And survivors who suffer from depression often have more complicated recoveries. Researchers now know who is most vulnerable.
Two recently published studies have uncovered what factors can lead to depression in breast cancer survivors, and how the condition impacts recovery. Knowing this information can help healthcare providers identify and provide additional support for these women.
University of Missouri researcher, Ann Bettencourt, professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri, and colleagues, surveyed 225 breast cancer patients who were receiving radiation treatment. Participants completed four surveys over a period of 13 months to assess both physical health and depressive symptoms.
Researchers found that women who were most likely to be depressed tended to be:
- Single
- Mothers with children at home
- Younger – under the age of 40
- Less affluent; women with higher incomes had lower depressive symptoms after treatment was complete.
Bettencourt says that zeroing in on these factors and identifying survivors who are depressed can help improve outcomes.
In a separate study, Bettencourt found that depressed women had worse attitudes toward treatment and were less likely to adhere to medication regimens.
As a result, a patient’s prognosis and ultimate outcome can be negatively impacted.
Both studies are published in the Psychology and Health.
In the United States, one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer sometime in her life. In 2010, there were over 250,000 new cases of breast cancer in women, and the number is rising. While treatment is improving, almost 40,000 women still died from breast cancer during 2009. However, there are still 2.5 million women in the US who are survivors.
Breast cancer, like any other cancer, is malignant, uncontrolled growth of breast tissue, usually from the tissue that lines the milk ducts (ductal carcinoma) or the tissue that makes the milk (lobular carcinoma). When cancer has not invaded other parts of the breast, it is referred to as in situ. (ex. Ductal carcinoma in situ). Breast cancers are also defined by their genes and hormone sensitivity. Some grow in response to the presence of estrogen, and area called ER+. Others have specific genes that make the cancer more aggressive, such as the gene HER2. These are important distinctions that direct treatment and prognosis.