Depression in Patients With Lung Cancer, Type 2 Diabetes Undergoing Chemotherapy

Depression is common in patients with lung cancer and those with type 2 diabetes. Results of a cross-sectional study assessing depression in 100 patients with both lung cancer and type 2 diabetes undergoing chemotherapy were presented at the ESMO Congress 2023.

The study was conducted in a large oncology hospital in a major city in northern Greece, and data were collected using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
(CES-D), which is a self-rating 20-item scale with a threshold of 16 indicating depression, and a questionnaire to determine demographic and clinical characteristics. The mean age of the sample was 59.57±5.04 years and the majority were married men (74%). About one-third (31%) of participants underwent surgical removal of the tumor and had small-cell lung cancer (51%). Most patients received carboplatin (74%) along with oral medication for diabetes (49%).

Results showed the mean CES-D score to be 39, 47±6, 16 (higher than 16). When comparing demographic and clinical characteristics and the CES-D score, respectively, the researchers found that gender (P=.01) and educational status affected the level of depression (P=.001), as did the existence of metastases (P=.02) and the type of diabetes treatment, which affected the overall score of depression (P=.002). There was no statistically significant correlation between depression and clinical characteristics.

The researchers concluded that “depression is a symptom experienced by Greek lung cancer patients with type 2 diabetes” and that their results support that health care professionals can help their patients by managing depression effectively.

Source: Lavdaniti M. Assessment of depression among lung cancer patients with type 2 diabetes using Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Abstract of a poster presented at the ESMO Congress 2023; October 20-24, 2023; Madrid, Spain.