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Annals of Oncology Advance Access published online on November 3, 2009
Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp515
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

review

Prevalence of mental health conditions in cancer patients in acute care—a meta-analysis

S. Singer1,2,*, J. Das-Munshi3 and E. Brähler1

1 Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
2 Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London
3 Section of Epidemiology, Department of Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK

* Correspondence to: Dr S. Singer, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK. Tel: +44-(0)7942744109; Fax: +49-3419715419; E-mail: susanne.singer{at}medizin.uni-leipzig.de

Background: To what extent is professional psychosocial care of cancer patients in acute hospitals necessary? In a previous meta-analysis, prevalence of psychological sequelae was found to be the same as in the general population. New studies with advanced methodology have been published since; therefore, an updated meta-analysis was needed.

Methods: We systematically reviewed studies assessing the prevalence of mental health conditions in acute care hospitals with comprehensive structured clinical interviews.

Results: Of 46 retrieved manuscripts, eight were deemed eligible for this meta-analysis. Within the studies, 1448 cancer patients had been assessed, whereby 456 were diagnosed having a mental health disorder. The prevalence rates ranged from 23% (breast cancer patients in Turkey) to 53% (elderly cancer patients in Uganda). The combined prevalence estimate is 32% (95% confidence interval 27% to 37%).

Conclusion: One-third of the cancer patients in acute care hospitals is suffering from mental health disorders and need appropriate treatment.

comorbidity, depression, mental health, meta-analysis, neoplasms, psychology

Received for publication July 4, 2009. Revision received September 18, 2009. Accepted for publication October 1, 2009.


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