Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life in Women with Breast Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study in North Greece

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Introduction: The incidence of breast cancer, as well as diabetes mellitus (DM), has continuously increased in recent years. The concurrent study of these diseases is particularly important, as there is a strong correlation between them due to hormonal, biochemical, and environmental factors. Moreover, the underlying metabolic dysfunction in this case could affect the treatment of breast cancer, as well as overall survival. In addition, the relationship of these two diseases with depression is not well studied. Patients with DM and cancer patients both experience depressive symptoms that have an impact on their mental health, as well as their quality of life. Personalized medicine offers a potential solution to these challenges by tailoring treatments to individual patient profiles. The present study will attempt to fill a gap in the existing literature regarding the relationship of patients with concurrent breast cancer and DM experiencing depression. More specifically, it will attempt to answer the question of whether there is a strong correlation between breast cancer, DM, and mental health in patients from a large geographical division of the country. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 120 female patients participated in the research, 60 with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (group B) and 60 with T2DM and breast cancer (group A). The DASS-21 questionnaire was used to determine their levels of anxiety and depression, and ADDQoL-19 was used to measure the patients’ quality of life. Results: Regarding quality of life, women with T2DM and breast cancer showed a better quality of life (QoL) than women with T2DM. Women who were retired (p = 0.025) and consequently postmenopausal (p = 0.035) demonstrated the highest levels of QoL, while stage III cancer patients had lower ADDQoL-19 scores. Regarding mental health, in the women from group A, a positive correlation of treatment with the occurrence of anxiety and depression (p = 0.034) and a negative correlation of cancer stage with mental health was observed. The women in group B (those with T2DM only) showed better mental health outcomes related to their treatment (p = 0.009). However, both married and unmarried women in this study experienced mental health burdens, with no significant difference between the two groups in terms of mental health impact. These findings suggest that marital status did not significantly influence the mental health of the participants in this study. Conclusions: Women with T2DM and breast cancer generally presented a better clinical picture than women with T2DM alone. Therefore, the comorbidity of these two diseases did not seem to negatively affect the quality of life and mental health of these women.