Depression more common for cancer patients, but rarely treated

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Depression more common for cancer patients, but rarely treated

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) â€" Three new studies by researchers at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh in the U.K. reveal that three-quarters of depressed cancer patients are not receiving treatment for depression. The researchers also found that serious depression is more common for cancer patients than for the general population, and varies by type of cancer. They also tested a new treatment program, with mental health care integrated into cancer treatment, which was much more effective at reducing depression and improving quality of life than current treatments, they found. Cancer doctors focus on the cancer, but depression deserves attention and treatment too, said Dr. Michael Sharpe of Psychological Medicine Research at the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, who co-wrote all three papers.

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