Incidence and Risk Factors for Suicide Death among Kaposi’s Sarcoma Patients: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Analysis

Abstract

Background: The suicide risk of patients with cancer is higher than the general population. Our research aimed to explore the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to define incidence and quest risk factors for death of suicide in patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in the United States (US). Material/Methods: We screened KS patients without human immunodeficiency virus status in the SEER database from 1980 to 2016, calculated the standardized mortality ratios of them by comparing the rates with those of the US general population from 1980 to 2016, and identified relevant suicide risk factors by univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results: The suicide rates of KS patients and US general population were 115.31 (110 suicides among 21 405 patients) and 15.1 per 100 000 person-years, respectively, thus the standardized mortality ratio was 7.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.28-9.21). The multivariate analysis showed that black race (versus white race, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21-0.89, P=0.022), advanced age at diagnosis (³55 years versus 18-44 years, HR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.14-0.66, P=0.002), and chemotherapy (versus no chemotherapy, HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37-0.96, P=0.032) were protective factors for suicide among KS patients. Conclusions: Clinicians and caregivers can apply our findings to identify KS patients with high suicide risk characteristics (white race, age of 18-44 years, non-chemotherapy) and exert timely interventions during patient diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up to reduce the suicide rate in this population.

Analysis of suicide risk in adult US patients with squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective study based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database

“…This study found that the suicide rate of patients with SCC in the US was higher than that in the general population,8 which is similar to the results of previous studies of the suicide rates of cancer patients in the USA11 21 22 and many other countries, including the UK, Italy, Estonia, Sweden and Denmark 3 23–26. Our analyses revealed that the factors associated with a high risk of suicide in SCC patients include being male, older at the diagnosis and white, and having a higher histological grade and not receiving surgery.…”

Risk factors associated with suicide among leukemia patients: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results analysis

“…We found that the proportion of male leukemia patients in the United States is similar to that of females (Table 1), whereas most suicided leukemia patients are males (85.9%), with a suicide rate of 39.96 per 100,000 person‐years, compared to 8.63 per 100,000 person‐years in female leukemia patients ( p < 0.001) (Table 2). In addition, male leukemia patients in the United States are more likely to commit suicide than are than female patients, with an HR of 4.41 (Table 3), which is similar to the suicide rates for male patients with other cancers 19,30 . Despite the similar prevalence rates of male and female leukemia patients, the much higher suicide rate in male leukemia patients may be related to the poor ability of males to withstand psychological pressures and their tendency for self‐directed violence 31,32 …”

“…In addition, male leukemia patients in the United States are more likely to commit suicide than are than female patients, with an HR of 4.41 (Table 3), which is similar to the suicide rates for male patients with other cancers. 19,30 Despite the similar prevalence rates of male and female leukemia patients, the much higher suicide rate in male leukemia patients may be related to the poor ability of males to withstand psychological pressures and their tendency for self-directed violence. 31,32 We found that most of the leukemia patients were older than 60 years (65.1%), and the suicide rate was higher in this age group (60-69 years vs. ≤39 years: HR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.60-4.23, p < 0.001; 70-79 years vs. ≤39 years: HR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.72-4.68, p < 0.001; ≥80 years vs. ≤39 years: HR = 2.94, 95% CI = 1.65-5.21, p < 0.001) ( Table 3).…”

A novel nomogram based on SEER database for the prediction of liver metastasis in patients with small-cell lung cancer

“…Nomogram, as a significant medical tool, could not only predict the risk of disease or survival outcomes but also help doctors screen high-risk patients and determine appropriate treatment measures (25,26). The predictive model accurately quantified the influence on each risk by integrating a large number of clinicopathological characteristics (27).…”