Psychiatric disorders and gynecological oncology: a review of the literature

Abstract

It is likely that patients with gynecological cancers are at risk for psychiatric disorders such as major depression and anxiety disorders. However, relatively little attention has been focused on studying these women. We review here papers that report rates and treatment of psychiatric illness in women with gynecological cancer. This small literature suggests that depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorders do occur with heightened frequency, and appear to worsen over the course of treatment persisting well after the initial diagnosis and therapy. Antidepressants are reported to be effective but compliance is often a problem. Limitations in this literature include a paucity of research specific to gynecological cancers, small sample sizes in reports that do exist, and minimal differentiation between the specific cancers and their rates of depression and anxiety. There is a clear need for more clinical and research attention to this at-risk population.