Abstract
The Article by Thomas Kuczmarski and colleagues 1 Kuczmarski TM Tramontano AC Mozessohn L et al. Mental health disorders and survival among older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the USA: a population-based study. Lancet Haematol. 2023; (published online June 1.)https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3026(23)00094-7 Google Scholar in The Lancet Haematology is the first in several decades to carefully consider the association between common pre-existing mental health disorders and survival outcomes in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Previous studies have explored the possibility of a relationship using smaller cohorts of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, acute myeloid leukaemia, or less common blood cancers, but by comparison this new study of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is substantially larger. Using data from the US Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER) linked to Medicare claims data for those aged 67 years or older, the researchers assembled a cohort of 13 244 patients. The authors focused on anxiety and depression—the two most common mental health diagnoses—finding that one in six patients had been diagnosed with either disorder in the 2 years before their B-cell lymphoma diagnosis. Moreover, the presence of either or both disorders was associated with a subsequent decreased overall survival and 5-year lymphoma-specific survival. The authors consider delayed cancer treatments and barriers to adherence as likely explanations for these disparities, and recommend clinicians undertake comprehensive psychosocial assessments at diagnosis to identify patients at risk and develop psychological interventions to improve their subsequent survival. Mental health disorders and survival among older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the USA: a population-based studyPre-existing depression, anxiety, or both disorders present within 24 months before DLBCL diagnosis, worsens prognosis for patients with DLBCL. Our data underscore the need for universal and systematic mental health screening for this population, as mental health disorders are manageable, and improvements in this prevalent comorbidity might affect lymphoma-specific survival and overall survival. Full-Text PDF
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