07 Aug 2023 at 16:38
Suffering from depression? Or are you very anxious? Contrary to previous belief, this does not lead to an increased risk of most types of cancer.
“There is no connection between depression and anxiety and a higher risk of most types of cancer,” researcher Lonneke van Tuijl of the UMCG told NU.nl. This is evident from a major international researchwhich was published Monday in a cancer science journal.
This concerns cancer of the breasts, prostate and intestines and alcohol-related cancers such as throat cancer, esophageal cancer or liver cancer. “The chance that you will get one of these cancers is therefore not increased if you have suffered from depression or anxiety in your life,” says Van Tuijl.
These results may relieve people who struggled with depression or anxiety. They don’t have to be afraid that they are more likely to get cancer. The same applies the other way around, according to Van Tuijl: “This is also good news for cancer patients who think that their diagnosis can be attributed to earlier feelings of anxiety or depression. They sometimes feel that it is their own fault that they are ill.”
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Future research should elucidate the relationship between depression and risk-taking behavior
The researchers followed the patients for years, some for up to 26 years. Van Tuijl and her colleagues studied data from more than 300,000 adults from eighteen study groups from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway and Canada.
“Even if we take into account behavior that increases the risk of cancer, such as smoking or being overweight, we find no connection between depression and anxiety and the risk of cancer,” says Van Tuijl. This means that the results of the study were not influenced by people displaying such risky behaviour.
The study did find an association between depression and anxiety and the risk of lung cancer. “But that connection became much weaker when we looked at risk factors such as smoking behavior and obesity. It is possible that people with depression are more likely to smoke or eat more and therefore develop lung cancer more quickly.” Van Tuijl will investigate this further.
The researcher had expected that there would be a connection. Previous studies have shown that depression increases the risk of cancer. “But many researchers had not looked at smoking behavior,” says Van Tuijl. “In addition, the results of previous studies differed greatly.” Like oncologists, Van Tuijl is pleased with the outcome of this study. “The results are consistent. There’s just no doubt.”
2023-08-07 14:38:59
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