[Comorbility between anxiety and depression in patients with carcinoid tumors].
BACKGROUND
People who have malignant cancer are plagued with a variety of symptoms that often severely limit their lives. In the case of carcinoid tumors, symptoms of anxiety and depression are two manifestations often associated with disturbances produced by the tumor itself and the chemicals that the tumor secretes. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of these symptoms for gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) tumors and non-gastro-entero-pancreatic (non-GEP).


METHODS
Patients with GEP and patients with non-GEP completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). HADS and all of its subscales were analyzed.


RESULTS
Patients with GEP tended to have higher average total scores on the HADS-D than those with non-GEP (p<0.08), and items in which the difference between GEP and non-GEP were statistically significant were anhedonia (p<0.05), a reduced ability to laugh and have fun (p<0.05), and the feeling of hopelessness (p<0.05). No significant differences emerged, however, in HADS-T and HADS-A scores.


CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of these findings, patients with GEP are affected more than patients with non-GEP with increased levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. What is difficult to determine, however, is whether these symptoms are related to hormone overproduction, or whether they are related to tumor-related emotional distress.
Patrizia
P
Moretti
John L
JL
Dennis
Aldo
A
Stella
Aurora
A
Alpini
Patrizio
P
Cotichelli
Piero
P
Ferolla
Giovanni
G
Scarpelli
Roberto
R
Quartesan
Massimiliano
M
Piselli
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007297:Inpatients; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones