This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Save to my personal folders Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dahl, A. A. Articles by Fosså, S. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dahl, A. A. Articles by Fosså, S. D. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Study of Anxiety Disorder and Depression in Long-Term Survivors of Testicular Cancer

From the Department of Clinical Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital; Departments of Oncology and Psychiatry, Ullevaal University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo; Research Centre for Health Promotion, University of Bergen; Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen; Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Northern Norway, University of Tromsø, Tromsø; and Department of Oncology, Saint Olav's Hospital, National University for Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Address reprint requests to Alv A. Dahl, MD, PhD, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, N-0310 Oslo, Norway; e-mail: alvd{at}ulrik.uio.no

PURPOSE: To increase our knowledge of the prevalence of anxiety disorder and depression in long-term testicular cancer survivors (TCSs), and to identify variables associated with such caseness.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants were 1,408 TCSs treated between 1980 and 1994 in Norway. Participants provided information about their medical, social, and familial situation on a questionnaire. They also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Anxiety disorder and depression were defined by a score 8 on the HADS subscales. The prevalence rates were compared with age-adjusted norm data.

RESULTS: HADS-defined anxiety disorder was more prevalent in TCSs (19.2%; 95% CI, 17.2% to 21.3%) than in the norm sample (13.5%; 95% CI, 13.1% to 13.9%; P < .001), whereas the prevalence of HADS-defined depression did not differ from the norm (TCSs, 9.7%; 95% CI, 8.1% to 11.2% v norm, 10.1%, 95% CI, 9.5 to 10.5; P = .56). The relative risk for anxiety disorder was 1.49 (95% CI, 1.31 to 1.69) and for depression the relative risk was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.81 to1.14) in TCSs compared with norm. In multivariate analyses, HADS-defined anxiety disorder in TCSs was associated with young age, peripheral neuropathy, economic problems, alcohol problems, sexual problems, relapse anxiety, and having been treated for mental problems.

CONCLUSION: Long-term TCSs have an increased risk of HADS-defined anxiety disorder that warrants clinical attention. Checking easily available demographic and TC-related data and use of a simple screening test such as HADS assists the identification of TCSs with anxiety disorder.

Supported by grants from The Norwegian Cancer Association, and Health & Rehabilitation Inc.

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. F. Pirl, J. Greer, J. S. Temel, B. Y. Yeap, and S. E. Gilman Major Depressive Disorder in Long-Term Cancer Survivors: Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication J. Clin. Oncol., September 1, 2009; 27(25): 4130 - 4134. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. E. Hoffman, E. P. McCarthy, C. J. Recklitis, and A. K. Ng Psychological Distress in Long-term Survivors of Adult-Onset Cancer: Results From a National Survey Arch Intern Med, July 27, 2009; 169(14): 1274 - 1281. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Tandstad, O. Dahl, G. Cohn-Cedermark, E. Cavallin-Stahl, U. Stierner, A. Solberg, C. Langberg, R. M. Bremnes, A. Laurell, H. Wijkstrom, et al. Risk-Adapted Treatment in Clinical Stage I Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Testicular Cancer: The SWENOTECA Management Program J. Clin. Oncol., May 1, 2009; 27(13): 2122 - 2128. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. P. Roy-Byrne, K. W. Davidson, R. C. Kessler, G. J.G. Asmundson, R. D. Goodwin, L. Kubzansky, R. B. Lydiard, M. J. Massie, W. Katon, S. K. Laden, et al. Anxiety Disorders and Comorbid Medical Illness Focus, October 1, 2008; 6(4): 467 - 485. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Albers, R. Siener, S. Krege, H.-U. Schmelz, K.-P. Dieckmann, A. Heidenreich, P. Kwasny, M. Pechoel, J. Lehmann, S. Kliesch, et al. Randomized Phase III Trial Comparing Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection With One Course of Bleomycin and Etoposide Plus Cisplatin Chemotherapy in the Adjuvant Treatment of Clinical Stage I Nonseminomatous Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: AUO Trial AH 01/94 by the German Testicular Cancer Study Group J. Clin. Oncol., June 20, 2008; 26(18): 2966 - 2972. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. R. Feldman, G. J. Bosl, J. Sheinfeld, and R. J. Motzer Medical Treatment of Advanced Testicular Cancer JAMA, February 13, 2008; 299(6): 672 - 684. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. L. Mealer, A. Shelton, B. Berg, B. Rothbaum, and M. Moss Increased Prevalence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Critical Care Nurses Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., April 1, 2007; 175(7): 693 - 697. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Oldenburg, S. M. Kraggerud, M. Cvancarova, R. A. Lothe, and S. D. Fossa Cisplatin-Induced Long-Term Hearing Impairment Is Associated With Specific Glutathione S-Transferase Genotypes in Testicular Cancer Survivors J. Clin. Oncol., February 20, 2007; 25(6): 708 - 714. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]