Review looks at psychological burden of children, young adult cancer patients

Children, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer (CYACs) may experience long-term psychological burden, according to a review published online June 22 in JAMA Pediatrics to coincide with the MASCC/JASCC/ISOO 2023 Annual Meeting, held from June 22 to 24 in Nara, Japan.

Ainsley Ryan Yan Bin Lee, M.B.B.S., from Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in Singapore, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to examine the risk, severity, and risk factors for depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, and suicide in CYACs and a noncancer comparator group. Data were included from 52 studies.

The researchers found that, compared with matched controls and siblings, CYACs were at increased lifetime risk of severe symptoms or a disorder of depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders (risk ratios, 1.57, 1.29, and 1.56, respectively). There was no significant increase observed in overall suicide mortality. CYACs receiving treatment and long-term survivors showed increased severity of depression (standardized mean differences, 0.44 and 0.18, respectively). The mean severity of anxiety was only increased during treatment (standardized mean difference, 0.16).

"It is imperative for policy makers and health care professionals to be cognizant of vulnerable subgroups who may develop severe psychiatric and psychological comorbidity," the authors write. "Timely identification, preventive efforts, and psycho-oncological intervention in vulnerable groups especially at risk are recommended."