Depression preceding the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is the tumour related to higher rates of depression. Several papers have validated the association between pancreatic cancer and depression. It was noticed that in some cases the psychiatric symptoms precede the somatic ones. We present a case of a progressive and incapacitating diffuse abdominal pain, initially attributed to psychosomatic disorder. This hindered a timely correct diagnosis leading to a poor outcome. A pancreatic adenocarcinoma in an unresectable stage was confirmed by histopathology. The patient underwent chemotherapy.

Prodromal affective symptoms and pancreatic cancer: A scoping review

“…Our review explored the relationship between depression and anxiety as prodromal symptoms in PC diagnosis. We found that affective symptoms such as depression and anxiety may play a role in PC early diagnosis [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] , favorably impacting early management of the disease and potentially improving survival rates. Although depression and anxiety may be potential precursors of PC diagnosis, studies are still unclear as to whether they are consequences or precursors of the carcinogenic process 10,[26][27][28][29] , especially considering the evident psychological and social impact faced by cancer-diagnosed patients with a poor prognosis 30 .…”

Síntomas afectivos prodrómicos y cáncer de páncreas: una revisión exploratoria

“…Nuestra revisión exploró la relación entre la depresión y ansiedad como síntomas prodrómicos en el diagnóstico de CP. Encontramos que síntomas afectivos como la depresión y ansiedad pueden tener un rol en el diagnóstico temprano del CP [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] , impactando favorablemente en el manejo temprano de la enfermedad y mejorando potencialmente las tasas de supervivencia de la enfermedad. Si bien la depresión y la ansiedad pueden ser precursores potenciales de un diagnóstico de CP, los estudios aun no son claros en si es una consecuencia o precursor del proceso carcinogénico 10,[26][27][28][29] .…”