title: Depression and cancer: an unexplored and unresolved emergent issue in elderly patients.
abstract: Despite the high prevalence of depressive disorders in cancer patients and elderly people, the topic of depression in elderly cancer patients still remains unexplored. This emerges from a systematic review of the literature conducted to investigate issues of depression, diagnosis, pathogenesis, treatment and their complex neuroimmunobiological interactions. Indeed, it becomes apparent that depression in elderly patients with cancer may have a peculiar phenomenology. In addition, the moderate rate of major depressive disorder and the high rate of minor depressive disorder are accompanied by subthreshold forms of depression that are at risk to be underrecognized and untreated. Immune dysfunction may represent a common pathogenic ground of depression, cancer and aging. This may have important implications for treatment. In the near future, we need to develop validated mood disorder diagnoses and verify antidepressant treatment efficacy for elderly cancer patients with depression in order to improve their clinical outcome and quality of life.
authors: IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors: Ilaria
authors: I
authors: Spoletini
authors: Walter
authors: W
authors: Gianni
authors: Lazzaro
authors: L
authors: Repetto
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Bria
authors: Carlo
authors: C
authors: Caltagirone
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Bossù
authors: Gianfranco
authors: G
authors: Spalletta
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide