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  1. Fulltext Psychiatric comorbidity among terminally ill patients in general practice in the Netherlands: a comparison between patients with cancer and heart failure
    Ng CG, Dijkstra E, Smeets H, Boks MP, de Wit NJ
    Br J Gen Pract, 2013 Jan;63(606):e63-8.
    PMID: 23336475 DOI: 10.3399/bjgp13X660797
    It is unclear whether psychiatric disorders are specifically related to the terminal phase of cancer, or independent of the underlying disease.
  2. Rapid response to methylphenidate as an add-on therapy to mirtazapine in the treatment of major depressive disorder in terminally ill cancer patients: a four-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study
    Ng CG, Boks MP, Roes KC, Zainal NZ, Sulaiman AH, Tan SB, et al.
    Eur Neuropsychopharmacol, 2014 Apr;24(4):491-8.
    PMID: 24503279 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2014.01.016
    This is a 4 week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to examine the effects of methylphenidate as add-on therapy to mirtazapine compared to placebo for treatment of depression in terminally ill cancer patients. It involved 88 terminally ill cancer patients from University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They were randomized and treated with either methylphenidate or placebo as add on to mirtazapine. The change in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score from baseline to day 3 was analyzed by linear regression. Changes of MADRS and Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (CGI-S) over 28 days were analyzed using mixed model repeated measures (MMRM). Secondary analysis of MADRS response rates, defined as 50% or more reduction from baseline score. A significantly larger reduction of Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score in the methylphenidate group was observed from day 3 (B=4.14; 95% CI=1.83-6.45). Response rate (defined as 50% or more reduction from baseline MADRS score) in the methylphenidate treated group was superior from day 14. Improvement in Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (CGI-S) was greater in the methylphenidate treated group from day 3 until day 28. The drop-out rates were 52.3% in the methylphenidate group and 59.1% in the placebo group (relative risk=0.86, 95%CI=0.54-1.37) due to cancer progression. Nervous system adverse events were more common in methylphenidate treated subjects (20.5% vs 9.1%, p=0.13). In conclusions, methylphenidate as add on therapy to mirtazapine demonstrated an earlier antidepressant response in terminally ill cancer patients, although at an increased risk of the nervous system side effects.
  3. Cancer mortality in patients with psychiatric diagnoses: a higher hazard of cancer death does not lead to a higher cumulative risk of dying from cancer
    Guan NC, Termorshuizen F, Laan W, Smeets HM, Zainal NZ, Kahn RS, et al.
    Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 2013 Aug;48(8):1289-95.
    PMID: 23104669 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-012-0612-8
    PURPOSE: Both increased as well as decreased cancer mortality among psychiatric patients has been reported, but competing death causes were not included in the analyses. This study aims to investigate whether observed cancer mortality in patients with psychiatric disorders might be biased by competing death causes.

    METHOD: In this retrospective cohort study on data from the Psychiatric Case Register Middle Netherlands linked to the death register of Statistics Netherlands, the risk of cancer death among patients with schizophrenia (N = 4,590), bipolar disorder (N = 2,077), depression (N = 15,130) and their matched controls (N = 87,405) was analyzed using a competing risk model.

    RESULTS: Compared to controls, higher hazards of cancer death were found in patients with schizophrenia (HR = 1.61, 95 % CI 1.26-2.06), bipolar disorder (HR = 1.20, 95 % CI 0.81-1.79) and depression (HR = 1.26, 95 % CI 1.10-1.44). However, the HRs of death due to suicide and other death causes were more elevated. Consequently, among those who died, the 12-year cumulative risk of cancer death was significantly lower.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis shows that, compared to the general population, psychiatric patients are at higher risk of dying from cancer, provided that they survive the much more elevated risks of suicide and other death causes.

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