Did you know that …..
according to a recent Swedish study the diagnosis of cancer increases the likelihood of suicide or die from cardiovascular causes ?
The researchers studied a sample of 6,073,240 Swedes between 1991 and 2006.
The conclusion of the investigation was that the risk of suicide in the first week after the cancer diagnosis was 12.6, representing an incidence rate of 2.50 / 1,000 per person-year. This rate decreased after the year of diagnosis, and it was 0.60 / 1,000 per person-year.
Regarding the risk of cardiovascular death after diagnosis, it was 5.6 during the first week, with the incidence rate of 116.80 / 1,000 person-years. The rate of death from cardiovascular problems after the year of diagnosis was 65.81 / 1,000 person-years.
As shown, the risk of death or suicide decreased during the first year after diagnosis, but the investigators found that the risk was greatest for cancers with poor prognosis.
This research entitled “Suicide and Cardiovascular Death after a Cancer Diagnosis“, was conducted by Dr. Fang Fang and colleagues, and has been published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The mere fact of being diagnosed with cancer is experienced by people as a traumatic experience.
Psychotherapy conducted by psychologists or physicians experienced in cancer psychotherapy is an important tool in the treatment of people with cancer.
(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)
