Prevalence of Mental Disorders Higher in Patients With Head, Neck Cancers After Cancer Diagnosis

Patients with cancers of the head and neck are more likely to have an increased prevalence of mental health disorders after their cancer is diagnosed compared with the general population, according to areport published today inJAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.There appears to be an especially strong association between mental health disorders and cancers of the trachea. Additionally, patients who received multimodal therapy —radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and/or surgery—have a higher risk of developing mental health disorders compared with those who receive only surgery, according to the report.“High mortality and morbidity associated with HNCs [head and neck cancers] may predispose these patients to MHDs [mental health disorders],” wrote Neerav Goyal, M.D., M.P.H., of Pennsylvania State University and colleagues. “In addition, morbidity is associated with the treatment.”Goyal and colleagues analyzed data from the Truven Health Market Scan Commercial Claims and Encounters database from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2014. They tracked diagnostic codes from ICD-9-CM associated with head and neck cancers and mental health disorders. Head and neck cancers included cancer of the lip, tongue, oral cavity, oropharynx, nasopharynx, hypopharynx, nasal cavity and sinus, larynx, trachea, mandible, Kaposi sarcoma of the palate, and malignant neoplasm of the head and neck. Mental health disorders included episodic mood disorders, including depression, anxiety, no...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: head and neck cancers JAMA Otolaryngology –Head & Neck Surgery mental health disorders Source Type: research