Association between depression and survival or disease recurrence in patients with head and neck cancer enrolled in a depression prevention trial

• Published in: Head & neck Vol. 31; no. 7; pp. 888 - 892
• Main Authors: Lazure, Kathryn E., Lydiatt, William M., Denman, David, Burke, William J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.07.2009; Wiley
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; cancer; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - mortality; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - psychology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - therapy; Citalopram - therapeutic use; Cohort Studies; Depression; Depressive Disorder - complications; Depressive Disorder - drug therapy; Depressive Disorder - pathology; Disease-Free Survival; Female; head and neck; Head and Neck Neoplasms - mortality; Head and Neck Neoplasms - psychology; Head and Neck Neoplasms - therapy; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - mortality; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - psychology; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - therapy; Otorhinolaryngology (head neck, general aspects and miscellaneous); Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; prognosis; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; survival; Survival Rate; Tumors; Mood disorder; Human; Relapse; Prognosis; Depressions; Stomatology; Depression; ENT; Malignant tumor; Survival; Prevention; Association; Head and neck; ENT disease; Head and neck cancer; Cancer
• ISSN: 1043-3074; 1097-0347; 1097-0347
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.21046

Background. To determine if depression portends a worse prognosis in patients with head and neck cancer, we conducted a retrospective chart analysis of subjects who participated in a randomized placebo‐controlled trial of citalopram for the prevention of depression during head and neck cancer treatment. Thirty‐five patients were randomized, 34 with 1 or more evaluations form the basis of this report. Methods. We used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), with a minimum follow‐up of 24 months if no evidence of disease, or until recurrence or death from disease. Results. Fourteen of 34 subjects were depressed at any time during the 16 week RCT (HAMD >15). Seven of the 14 subjects in the depressed group were dead from disease or had recurrence, compared to 4 of 20 who never developed depression (p = .03). Stage of disease was equivalent in the 2 groups. Conclusion. This study suggests that depression in patients with head and neck cancer reduces survival. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2009