Psychologic Distress Is Associated with Cancer-Specific Mortality among Patients with Cervical Cancer

Emerging evidence suggests a role of psychologic factors in the progression of different cancer types. However, it is unclear whether psychologic distress around the time of diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer places patients at a higher risk of cancer-specific mortality, independently of tumor characteristics and treatment modalities. We conducted a nationwide cohort study, including 4,245 patients with newly diagnosed cervical cancer during 2002–2011 in Sweden. Psychologic distress was indicated by a clinical diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or stress reaction and adjustment disorders, or the experience of a stressful life event, including death or severe illness of a family member, divorce, or between jobs, from one year before cancer diagnosis and onwards. We calculated the HRs of cancer-specific mortality among the patients exposed to psychologic distress, compared with unexposed patients, controlling for socioeconomic characteristics and other known prognostic indicators such as tumor and treatment characteristics. We found that patients exposed to psychologic distress had an increased risk of cancer-specific mortality (HR 1.33; 95% CI, 1.14–1.54). The association was primarily driven by distress experienced within one year before or after diagnosis (HR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.11–1.52), but not thereafter (HR 1.12; 95% CI, 0.84–1.49). In summary, our study shows that psychiatric disorders and stressful life events around cancer diagnosis are associated with increased cancer-specific mortality among patients with cervical cancer, independent of tumor characteristics and treatment modality.

Significance: These findings support the integration of psychologic screening and intervention in the clinical management of patients with cervical cancer, particularly around the time of cancer diagnosis.