Depression might influence breast cancer risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression appears to somewhatheighten the risk of breast cancer, but it has no significantassociation with lung, colon or prostate cancer, according to areview of the medical literature conducted by Dutchresearchers.
"Depression is related to a slightly increased risk ofcancer," investigator Dr. Marjan van den Akker told ReutersHealth. "The relation with breast cancer gets stronger with alonger follow-up period."
van den Akker, of Maastricht University, and colleaguescame to this conclusion after examining data from 13 studiesinvolving more than 127,000 patients. Their findings arepublished in the journal Clinical Practice and Epidemiology inMental Health.
Based on eight studies with complete data, the researcherscalculated that the overall risk of cancer was increased by 12percent in individuals with depression.
Based on data from seven studies that looked at a mixtureof factors, no significant association was seen betweendepression and the development of breast cancer.
However, analysis of a subgroup of studies that included atleast 10 years of follow-up showed a significant association --patients with depression had a 2.5-fold increased risk ofdeveloping breast cancer compared with undepressed patients.
"With the evidence available at this moment, it's difficultto disentangle the possible effects of depression andantidepressants on the occurrence of subsequent cancer,"continued van den Akker. "It's not yet possible to translatethese results into preventive interventions," she concluded.
SOURCE: Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in MentalHealth, December 3, 2007.