Investigating the risk of suicide among prostate cancer survivors
Researchers at Cancer Council NSW have found that a prostate cancer diagnosis puts Australian men at much higher risk of suicide compared to the general male population.
Background
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among Australian men. About 19,500 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in Australia in 2019.
The research
Cancer Council researchers looked at rates of suicide among prostate cancer survivors over a period of ten years. The study compared the number of suicides observed for prostate cancer survivors with the expected number of suicides based on age- and calendar-year specific rates for the NSW male population.
It was found that men who had prostate cancer were at a 70% increased risk of suicide compared to the general male population.
The risk of men whose cancer had spread beyond the prostate was greatest – 2.7 times higher than for those with localised disease. The study also showed that prostate cancer survivors who were single, divorced, widowed or separated were over four times more likely to take their own life, compared to married or partnered men.
The impact
Due to improved detection and diagnosis, the number of men surviving long after diagnosis has been steadily increasing. As a result, the psychosocial impact of a cancer diagnosis is expected to affect more and more men as the population grows and ages.
This research calls for more routine distress screening for men with prostate cancer. Men identified as exhibiting distress, anxiety or depression and particularly vulnerable or lonely men should be offered additional support appropriate to their circumstances and needs.
The study also highlighted the importance of further research into this area recognising this is not just an issue for men with prostate cancer and highlighting the wide spectrum of psychological stress that men with cancer can experience.
Research team
Associate Professor David Smith (pictured)
Dr Ross Calopedos
Albert Bang
Dr Xue Qin Yu
Sam Egger
Professor Suzanne Chambers
Professor Dianne O’Connell