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Psychotherapy Linked to Lower Cancer Mortality Risk in Depressed Patients
Confirmed
In Short: The study also found that depression was least common among patients with prostate cancer, but these patients showed the highest risk for cancer-specific mortality.
A study presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2026 Annual Meeting found that psychotherapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) within a month of cancer diagnosis was associated with a 21% reduced risk of cancer-specific mortality.
The research, which analyzed data from over 265,000 older adults with common cancers, highlighted the importance of early intervention for depression in cancer patients.
Lead author Edmund Qiao, MD, a radiation oncology resident at the University of California, San Diego, emphasized the need for providers to consider the whole patient, including their mental health, during cancer consultations.
Qiao noted, “As providers, we have a lot of things that we want to get through in a cancer consult visit. I would stress for us to take a pause, too, and think about the whole patient, mind-body, as well as their cancer treatment.”
The study identified patients with breast, prostate, colorectal, bladder, or non-small cell lung cancer from 2010 to 2017. It found that psychotherapy was underutilized, with only 3% of patients with depression receiving psychotherapy within 4 weeks of diagnosis.
Fumiko Chino, MD, a radiation oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said the findings highlight the importance of individualizing depression management in cancer care.
Chino noted, “The key finding that I thought was fascinating was that psychotherapy seemed to have more positive effects across broader populations and that it was really underutilized compared to medications.”
The study also found that depression was least common among patients with prostate cancer, but these patients showed the highest risk for cancer-specific mortality.
Qiao emphasized the need for early recognition and intervention for depression in cancer patients, stating, “The take-home message is that we believe that a greater individualization of depression management in cancer is necessary.”
The type of cancer, prognosis, and treatment course can affect a patient’s mental health needs as well as which interventions might be the most beneficial.
The findings suggest that prompt referral for psychotherapy could address an important gap in comprehensive cancer care.
The study underscores the importance of addressing mental health in cancer care and highlights the potential benefits of psychotherapy for patients with MDD.
What this adds
The study adds to the understanding of how mental health interventions can impact cancer outcomes, particularly in older adults.
The research highlights the underutilization of psychotherapy compared to antidepressant therapy among cancer patients with depression.
The findings suggest that early intervention with psychotherapy may be more beneficial than medication alone for reducing cancer-specific mortality.
What's confirmed
- A study presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2026 Annual Meeting found that psychotherapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) within a month of cancer diagnosis was associated with a 21% reduced risk of cancer-specific mortality.
- The research, which analyzed data from over 265,000 older adults with common cancers, highlighted the importance of early intervention for depression in cancer patients.
- Lead author Edmund Qiao, MD, a radiation oncology resident at the University of California, San Diego, emphasized the need for providers to consider the whole patient, including their mental health, during cancer consultations.
- The study identified patients with breast, prostate, colorectal, bladder, or non-small cell lung cancer from 2010 to 2017. It found that psychotherapy was underutilized, with only 3% of patients with depression receiving psychotherapy within 4 weeks of diagnosis.
- Fumiko Chino, MD, a radiation oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said the findings highlight the importance of individualizing depression management in cancer care.
- The study also found that depression was least common among patients with prostate cancer, but these patients showed the highest risk for cancer-specific mortality.
- The type of cancer, prognosis, and treatment course can affect a patient’s mental health needs as well as which interventions might be the most beneficial.
- The findings suggest that prompt referral for psychotherapy could address an important gap in comprehensive cancer care.
- The study underscores the importance of addressing mental health in cancer care and highlights the potential benefits of psychotherapy for patients with MDD.
What's still developing
- A multicenter study involving two cohorts of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) found that less-intensive therapies for AML are associated with increased mortality in risk groups defined by age, comorbidities and cytogenetics.
- “Although the field is moving in the direction of not as readily offering intensive therapies to older patients, there’s still value in it,” he says.
- Gerds, MD, MS, hematologist in Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center’s Leukemia & Myeloid Disorders Program and a study co-author, says that these findings add to the ongoing conversation about the care of patients with AML, which is focused on moving away from intensive induction chemotherapy and towards a less-intensive treatment combination.
- “For a long time, we’ve had a dichotomous choice in AML treatments: either super heavy-duty induction chemotherapy, also known as 7+3, or less-intensive therapies like azacitidine,” he says.
- “So, it really was one or the other.” However, with the more recent drug approvals in AML, he adds, prescribing has shifted toward less-intensive therapies and avoiding the toxicities associated with induction chemotherapy such as strong myelosuppression, and the need for transfusions and hospitalization.
- Antidepressant therapy and psychotherapy were identified using Medicare Part D claims and Current Procedural Terminology codes, respectively.
- Image credit: ThalesAntonio/Shutterstock.com A large study published in PLOS Medicine found that long, uninterrupted bouts of sitting were more strongly associated with cancer risk than sedentary time interrupted by even light physical activity.
- A growing body of evidence suggests that spending more time sedentary is associated with poorer health outcomes, including a higher risk of several chronic diseases and cancer-related death.
- Some studies have also found that replacing sedentary time with physical activity may be associated with lower cancer mortality, potentially through improvements in glucose metabolism and insulin regulation that occur independently of body weight.
- Higher rates were also observed for several individual cancers, including esophageal, kidney, liver, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers.
- The researchers also observed similar patterns across several individual cancer types, with prolonged sedentary behavior generally associated with higher risks and interrupted sedentary behavior with lower risks.
- Spending less time in long, uninterrupted sitting bouts and replacing some of that time with even light physical activity was associated with lower cancer risk in a study of more than 91,000 UK Biobank participants, highlighting how patterns of sedentary behavior may matter alongside total sitting time.