Affective disorders as risk predictor of developing cancer on example of malignant tumors of pancreas

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is the 12th most common malignant neoplasm and the 7th most common cancer related death worldwide. Early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is complicated, since the disease proceeds for a long time without pronounced clinical symptoms, and the identification and screening of the so-called risk groups of patients is difficult, since the etiology of pancreatic cancer is currently a matter of scientific debate. Early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can be based on the anamnestic analysis of the psychoemotional status of patients. Back in the early 20th century, based on an analysis of the results of a survey of patients with pancreatic cancer, researchers described a triad of affective signs, including depression, anxiety and a sense of impending death, which worried patients in the early stages of development of the disease. According to literature, the psychiatric symptoms of pancreatic cancer can appear 43 months before the somatic symptoms and occur in more than 50 % of patients. To date, there are a number of concepts in the literature that point to a significant contribution of affective disorders to the development of pancreatic cancer. The aim of this review is to analyze the literature data on the relationship between affective disorders and the development of pancreatic cancer.