Cancer and Depression

Course overview

As many as one in four people with cancer will experience depression during or after their treatment course. The effects of depression can impact the patient's psychosocial well-being and disease outcomes. Depression is associated with poor treatment adherence, decreased quality of life, poor sleep, increased healthcare spending, increased suicide rates, and increased mortality. Although depression is a recognized problem in people with cancer, it is undetected by healthcare providers in up to 50% of cases.