Study finds link between mental health diagnoses and early death in adults with cancer

In a study of adults with cancer, those who developed a mental health condition within the first year after their cancer diagnosis had a higher likelihood of dying over the next few years. The findings are published in Cancer.

In the analysis of data on all patients at University of California–affiliated hospitals, researchers identified all adult patients who were diagnosed with cancer in 2013–2023 but had no documented mental health disorder before their diagnosis.

Among 371,189 patients, 39,687 (10.6%) developed a mental health disorder within a year. After taking potentially influencing factors into account, a mental health disorder diagnosis was linked to a 51% higher risk of death in the initial one to three years after cancer diagnosis. This elevated risk diminished to a 17% higher risk after three to five years and then disappeared.

The findings support the importance of prompt screening and treatment of distress and mental health following a cancer diagnosis.

“Over the past several years, we’ve had an increasing appreciation for the important relationship between cancer, its treatment, and mental health,” said lead author Julian Hong, MD, MS, of the University of California, San Francisco.

“This study reproduces our prior work by leveraging the shared experience across the University of California system, reinforcing a relationship between mental health conditions and mortality for patients with cancer and highlighting the need to prioritize and manage mental health.”