Multicenter retrospective study of depression risk among breast cancer survivors in South Korea

A multicenter retrospective study in South Korea evaluated the risk of depression among survivors of breast cancer, 1:2 matched for age with non-cancer controls from the general population. Overall, the risk of depression was 39% increased among survivors (sHR 1.39; 95% CI 1.36-1.42), which was higher during the first year after the diagnosis (3.23; 3.08-3.37). Various treatments had different impacts on depression risk. One year post-surgery younger survivors (aged ≤ 50 years) had a 1.16-fold increase in depression risk (sHR 1.16; 95% CI 1.11-1.20), while older survivors showed no significant change in risk. The authors conclude that this study demonstrated a significant association between breast cancer and depression.