New Article – The mediating role of health behaviors in the association between depression, anxiety and cancer incidence: an individual participant data meta-analysis

Congratulations to Dr. Kuan-Yu Pan and the Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Incidence (PSY-CA) Consortium team members on their latest publication, “The mediating role of health behaviors in the association between depression, anxiety and cancer incidence: an individual participant data meta-analysis.” PSY-CA includes 18 international cohorts with 320,000 participants, including Atlantic PATH, the Ontario Health Study and CARTaGENE. Article: https://bit.ly/3weFXXP

The mediating role of health behaviors in the association between depression, anxiety and cancer incidence: an individual participant data meta-analysis

Authors: Kuan-Yu Pan , Lonneke van Tuijl, Maartje Basten, Judith J. M. Rijnhart, Alexander de Graeff, Joost Dekker, Mirjam I. Geerlings, Adriaan Hoogendoorn, Adelita V. Ranchor, Roel Vermeulen, Lützen Portengen, Adri C. Voogd, Jessica Abell, Philip Awadalla, Aartjan T. F. Beekman, Ottar Bjerkese, Andy Boyd, Yunsong Cui, Philipp Frank, Henrike Galenkamp, Bert Garssen, Sean Hellingman, Monika Hollander, Martijn Huisman, Anke Huss, Melanie R. Keats, Almar A. L. Kok, Steinar Krokstad, Flora E. van Leeuwen, Annemarie I. Luik, Nolwenn Noisel, Yves Payette, Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Susan Picavet, Ina Rissanen, Annelieke M. Roest, Judith G. M. Rosmalen, Rikje Ruiter, Robert A. Schoevers, David Soave, Mandy Spaan, Andrew Steptoe, Karien Stronks, Erik R. Sund, Ellen Sweeney, Alison Teyhan, Emma L. Twait, Kimberly D. van der Willik and Femke Lamers. Journal: Psychological Medicine Abstract: Background – Although behavioral mechanisms in the association among depression, anxiety, and cancer are plausible, few studies have empirically studied mediation by health behaviors. We aimed to examine the mediating role of several health behaviors in the associations among depression, anxiety, and the incidence of various cancer types (overall, breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, smoking-related, and alcohol-related cancers). Methods – Two-stage individual participant data meta-analyses were performed based on 18 cohorts within the Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Incidence consortium that had a measure of depression or anxiety (N = 319 613, cancer incidence = 25 803). Health behaviors included smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol use, body mass index (BMI), sedentary behavior, and sleep duration and quality. In stage one, path-specific regression estimates were obtained in each cohort. In stage two, cohort-specific estimates were pooled using random-effects multivariate meta-analysis, and natural indirect effects (i.e. mediating effects) were calculated as hazard ratios (HRs). Results – Smoking (HRs range 1.04–1.10) and physical inactivity (HRs range 1.01–1.02) significantly mediated the associations among depression, anxiety, and lung cancer. Smoking was also a mediator for smoking-related cancers (HRs range 1.03–1.06). There was mediation by health behaviors, especially smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol use, and a higher BMI, in the associations among depression, anxiety, and overall cancer or other types of cancer, but effects were small (HRs generally below 1.01). Conclusions  – Smoking constitutes a mediating pathway linking depression and anxiety to lung cancer and smoking-related cancers. Our findings underline the importance of smoking cessation interventions for persons with depression or anxiety.   doi: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291724000850  

World Mental Health Day

October 10th is World Mental Health Day and Atlantic PATH is pleased to be involved in multiple studies examining mental health and well-being. COVID Global Mental Health Consortium The COVID Global Mental Health Consortium was recently funded and includes 23 global cohorts representing 2.8 million participants. It will produce a global evaluation of pandemic-related mental health outcomes using individual-level harmonized longitudinal data. Research will begin this fall and we look forward to participating and contributing to this important work. Depression, Anxiety and Risk of Cancer Depression and anxiety have long been thought to be related to an increased cancer risk. The Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Incidence (PSY-CA) consortium is led from the Netherlands and includes Atlantic PATH, CARTaGENE (Quebec) and the Ontario Health Study. This study found that mental health was not related to an increased risk of cancer. Shift Work & Mental Health The relationship between mental health and shift work was evaluated among Atlantic PATH participants. Shift workers reported higher levels of each of the mental health domains compared to non-shift workers. Shift workers were more likely to have increased rates of depression and poor self-rated health, as well as depressive and anxiety symptom scores compared to non-shift workers. As a result, shift workers may be at increased risk of comorbidity, poor quality of life, missed work, and early retirement. Physical Activity and Self-Rated Health The population of Atlantic Canada is aging rapidly and has among the highest rates of chronic disease in the country. This study examined the association between physical activity and self-rated health among Atlantic PATH participants. The results suggest that physical activity is associated with and may help to improve perceived health status of individuals with one or more chronic conditions. The findings support literature suggesting that physical activity can be beneficial for adults as they age with chronic disease. Anxiety, Depression and Prostate Cancer Prostate cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer among males in Canada, and has one of the most favorable survival rates among all cancers. The incidence rates are expected to remain high with an aging population and an increase in asymptomatic detection. Prostate cancer survivors had higher odds of anxiety or depression symptoms compared to those with no history of cancer or a history of any other type of cancer. Prostate cancer survivors with a low household income had a higher rate of depression compared to those  with a history of another type of cancer and a high household income. Prostate cancer survivors who were treated with surgery had a higher odds of depression symptoms compared to those with a history of other types of cancer. Increased rates of anxiety and depression among males with a history of prostate cancer highlights the need for mental health screening among prostate cancer survivors. The findings highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary effort to prioritize and deliver comprehensive mental health support throughout the prostate cancer journey.  

New Publication – Depression, Anxiety and Risk of Cancer

We are pleased to share that the first results from the Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Incidence (PSY-CA) consortium have been published in Cancer. Led from the Netherlands by Dr. Lonneke van Tuijl and Dr. Joost Dekker, this study includes 18 cohorts with more than 300,000 participants including Atlantic PATH, the Ontario Health Study and CARTaGENE from CanPath. Our local team members include Mr. Yunsong Cui (Atlantic PATH) who completed all local analyses, Dr. Ellen Sweeney (Atlantic PATH) and Dr. Melanie Keats (Dalhousie University). Depression and anxiety have long been hypothesized to be related to an increased cancer risk, but, to date, findings are inconclusive. Individual participant data meta-analyses were performed within the PSY-CA consortium to assess the associations between depression, anxiety, and the incidence of various cancer types (overall, breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, alcohol-related, and smoking-related cancers). Findings from the study indicate that depression and anxiety are not related to increased risk for most cancer outcomes, except for lung and smoking-related cancers. This study shows that key covariates are likely to explain the relationship between depression, anxiety, and lung and smoking-related cancers. Link to publication: https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.34853 Link to Neuroscience News article: https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-anxiety-cancer-23769/