An Examination of the Role of Socioeconomic Status in the Relationship between Depression and Prostate Cancer Survivorship in a Population-Based Sample of Men from Atlantic Canada

Journal: Oncology Authors: Gabriela Ilie, Robert Rutledge, Ellen Sweeney Abstract: Objective: Prostate and skin cancer are among the most prevalent forms of cancer among men and have favorable survival rates compared to other, more aggressive forms of cancers. Recent studies have shown that the odds of depression among men with a lifetime history of prostate cancer are higher compared to men without a lifetime history of prostate cancer. Here we extend previous findings and examine the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between depression and cancer survivorship status in a population-based sample of men from Atlantic Canada. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a subsample of 6,585 male participants aged 49–69 years from the 2009–2015 survey cycle of the Atlantic PATH study. The primary outcome was screening positive for mild, moderate or severe depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The main predictor variable was cancer survivorship status (the presence of a lifetime history of prostate cancer, skin cancer, forms of cancer other than prostate or skin cancer, or absence of a lifetime cancer diagnosis). Covariates included age, education, marital status, household income, province, ethnicity, comorbidity, and survivorship time. Results: An estimated 14.7% of men in this sample screened positive for mild, moderate or severe depression. Men with a history of prostate cancer were 2.60 (95% CI: 1.02, 6.65) times more likely to screen positive for depression than men with a history of any other form of cancer. The odds ratios were 10.23 (95% CI: 2.82, 37.49) or 4.00 (95% CI: 1.20, 13.34) times higher for survivors of prostate or skin cancer who reported a low household income to screen positive for depression compared to men with a history of any other form of cancer and high household income. Conclusions: These results extend current evidence of the association between prostate cancer survivorship and depression compared with men who never had a history of cancer diagnosis by indicating that this association still stands when the survivors of prostate cancer are compared to survivors of any other form of cancer, and further indicates that this association is moderated by household income. The findings highlight the importance of delivering mental health screening and support to prostate cancer survivors during the cancer journey, especially those with low household incomes. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000512444    

New Publication Alert

We’re excited to announce a new article in Oncology that examines the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between depression and prostate cancer survivorship in the Atlantic PATH cohort. bit.ly/39dekQu This work builds on an article in Psycho-Oncology that analyzes anxiety and depression symptoms among adult males with and without a history of prostate cancer. bit.ly/36aWzPZ  

National COVID-19 Questionnaire Data Now Available

Over 101,500 CanPath participants from across Canada completed the CanPath COVID-19 Questionnaire in 2020. The first release of this data, including the over 93,000 responses collected by October 31st, 2020, is now available to researchers. These data were collected by the regional cohorts that make up CanPath: the BC Generations Project, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, the Manitoba Tomorrow Project, Ontario Health Study, CARTaGENE (Quebec) and Atlantic PATH. Data collected through the survey include: Self-reported COVID-19 test results/suspected infection Symptoms experienced (if any) Current health status and risk factors Potential sources of exposure Lifestyle and behaviours (alcohol use, tobacco use etc.) Impact of the pandemic on job status Impact of the pandemic on mental, emotional, social and financial well-being Nationally harmonized data from the CanPath COVID-19 Questionnaire is now available to researchers. Given the immediate need for pandemic research, CanPath has revised its expedited review process to provide timely access to the data. Requests for access to the national COVID-19 Questionnaire dataset, as well as accompanying baseline and follow-up datasets, will be reviewed in as little as 9 business days. Please note that while ethnicity/race data was not collected through this questionnaire, self-reported ethnicity data was collected at baseline for all CanPath participants. This data is available for all participants who completed the COVID-19 questionnaire, with the exception of Manitoba Tomorrow Project participants as this cohort is still in recruitment. Of the over 93,000 participants to complete the CanPath COVID-19 Questionnaire by October 31st: 11.5% reported they were tested for COVID-19 0.21% reported they tested positive for COVID-19 0.02% were hospitalized because of COVID-19 2.66% suspected having an undiagnosed case of COVID-19 52.2% experienced mild or severe symptoms of COVID-19 25.4% reported a change in employment status since the pandemic Questions about the CanPath COVID-19 Questionnaire dataset? Email access@canpath.ca.

CanPath Webinar Announcement: Research Spotlight – How 3 Trainees are using CanPath Data and Biosamples

Join us on January 27th for a CanPath webinar to learn about three exciting research projects using data and biosamples from two of CanPath’s regional cohorts, Atlantic PATH and BC Generations. Jacob Nearing (PhD candidate, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University) will be presenting his doctoral research which investigates the oral microbiome for biomarker discovery in cancer. Kalli Hood (MSc, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University) will be presenting her Master’s research which used toenail biomarkers to compare arsenic speciation and metallomic profiles in breast, cervical, prostate, and skin cancers. Molly Sweeney Magee (PhD candidate, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia) will be presenting on her doctoral research focused on cancer diagnosis and health behaviour change.   Registration details: http://bit.ly/3b9ewBE