DEPRESSIONE E CANCRO NEGLI ANZIANI
M. A. Annunziata, B. Muzzatti
Vol.1 (2017), issue 3, pag. 31-38
| Received | 12/09/2016 |
| Accepted for pubblication | 01/11/2016 |
| Published | Oct. 2017 |
| Review by | Single-blind |
ABSTRACT
Introduction. In cancer patients, depression is common and often causes suffering during the whole disease trajectory; in addition, it in uences the personal perception of well-being as well as treatment adherence. Depression is common also in old age, when it is often associated to experienced losses, including those provoked by the illness itself and/or its effects. The present review summarizes the recent international literature focused on depression in elderly with cancer. Method. We queried the PubMed database, which allowed us to identify the pertinent papers, published since 2012. Results. From the 192 initial records, 19 papers meet the selection criteria and were categorized in three main topics: I. intensity and prevalence of depression in elderly cancer patients; II. factors associated to depression in elderly patients with cancer; III. Depression Treatment Patterns among Elderly with Cancer.
Conclusion. Despite several issues in comparing and interpreting research data, depression is a well-documented aspect of cancer experience also in old age. However very few studies address depression treatment in this kind of users.