1/3 Of Cancer Survivors Experience PTSD, Study Suggests

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could develop after surviving cancer, a new study suggests.

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that a third of survivors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma still experience PTSD symptoms long after they were first diagnosed with the disease. In fact, the PTSD seemed to get worse as the years passed.

"It's just very stressful for people to be told that they have cancer," Bonnie Green, a Georgetown University trauma expert who wasn't involved with the study, told Reuters. "You can't just assume that they feel bad now, but it will go away."

The study, conducted by Duke Cancer Institute researchers, involved 566 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. These people had been surveyed before, and researchers had previously deduced that about 1 in 12 of them had PTSD. In the new analysis, researchers followed up a median of 12.9 years after their initial diagnosis.

Researchers found that half of the people didn't have any symptoms of PTSD 13 years post-diagnosis, and that 12 percent of people who did have it had their PTSD symptoms disappear. But 37 percent of the people reported that their PTSD symptoms have stayed or even gotten worse after a 5-year period.

PTSD symptoms were greater in people who had lower incomes, were diagnosed when their cancer had already entered into stage 2 or higher, underwent chemotherapy and had an aggressive form of lymphoma, HealthDay reported.

PTSD is defined by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress as "avoiding situations related to the trauma, continuously thinking of the trauma, and being overexcited." Cancer survivors with PTSD may relive their cancer in nightmares, or may avoid places or people that remind them of their cancer.

The AAETS says:

People with histories of cancer are considered to be at risk for PTSD. The physical and mental shock of having a life-threatening disease, of receiving treatment for cancer, and living with repeated threats to one's body and life are traumatic experiences for many cancer patients.

However, having a good social support system and a good relationship with the medical staff could help to reduce the risk of developing PTSD from cancer, the AAETS reports.

Comments

[C Karen Stopford]

08:53 PM on 10/17/2011

I wonder if the very real biological warfare that goes on inside the body during chemotherapy treatment has any effect on the development of PTSD? Cancer is an aggressive "invader" but chemo is a very aggressive counter-insurgency that leaves plenty of collateral damage in its wake. Wonder if anyone has studied that aspect of body-mind connection.

[maggie32960]

09:54 PM on 10/16/2011

I'm a survivor of cancer, twice in 2009 - breast and kidney. The trauma of having breast cancer was severe as my family has lost several immediate members to this disease and yes, I've watched more than one die with cancer. I've never considered myself weak and have never been accused of being such, but I do not sleep well, every "oddity" I feel in my breast scares me, and if my kidneys seem to not "function" well, I worry...if some of you have weathered better than I, kudos...all I'm going to ask you to do is this...please, don't pretend that everyone handles situations the same, don't think you haven't any issues (I believe that's called denial?), and do not compare your trauma to mine! Blessings to all!

[hypyrwyf]

01:28 PM on 10/18/2011

f & f, blessings to you.

[MInchau]

07:14 PM on 10/16/2011

I have the same rare pancreatic cancer that Steve Jobs just died from. I was diagnosed as a perfectly healthy person in my 30's (over 9 years ago). There is no cure and as long as I live I have to deal with it. Every time they find a new tumor I have to have it surgically removed. I don't think I'm unusually mentally stable, but I simply don't get the PTSD described above. I live with cancer; my life happily goes on, I almost always feel good, but I'll never be "free" of this and yet I don't have any psychological issues. Go figure! Life is what you make it. Don't play the victim!!!

[ddokken69]

04:32 AM on 11/08/2011

I knows may not mean alot when dealing with such a serious illness but I felt compelled to wrote to you to let you know that you need not depend on how the doctors try to present their negative view on your prognosis because my son at age 3 totally beat the odds which they said about a 30 survival rate and now he is cancer free. If your not a christian then I apoligize for saying never count out what GOD has in store for you all I can say is my 3 year old NEVER doubted that he was going to survive this and he did. My thoughts and prayers for you are being sent out as I am writing this post. NEVER except the fact that you CAN and WILL survive this illness. Doctors are licensed to practice medicine they have no control over your body and its ability to reach a higher power to remove your affliction. Hang in there the body has an ability to overcome anything that harm itself I have faith your going to pull through. GOD BLESS and keep the faith.

[ddokken69]

07:37 AM on 10/16/2011

I have to disagree with that finding. My son was diagnosed with caner at age 3 and now at 6 he is cancer free and show's no signs of any depression at all. Don't let the age fool you he is mentally far beyond his age especially with his knowledge of what he had and all he has been through. If anyone showed signs of depression it was me in trying to come to terms with his disease and how to best deal with it.

[Newly Minted]

12:07 PM on 10/16/2011

As someone who has had PTSD, it's not really depression. It's more a state in which you have a "fight or flight" adrenaline reaction that doesn't fade for months--sometimes longer. You have heightened awareness, insomnia and vivid nightmares once you do sleep. It seems to be an automatic reaction when some people are faced with nightmarish situations and traumatic mental and emotional shocks that are unexpected.

Not being a medical professional, I, none-the-less, would suspect that a child may not be old enough to harbor expectations and everything that happens they might consider "normal," as far as they know. From what I understand, there might also be a genetic component to it. That would make sense as I'm not the only PTSD sufferer in my immediate family. (Although we both experienced different situations that caused it.)

[Customex]

12:53 AM on 10/16/2011

I suspect it may, to a degree, affect those who are intimately associated with cancer patients, through the course of their disease and particularly when it includes the patient's ultimate demise.

[Newly Minted]

09:19 PM on 10/15/2011

PTSD is way more common than people think. No surprise here.

[JIll26]

04:39 PM on 10/15/2011

My step-son lost a relatively short battle with cancer at age 47. The diagnosis, even in the early stage when it was thought he'd be completely cured, sent him into a state of mind that he'd have never recovered from, even if the cancer had been effectively treated. I've had way too many family and friends battle this disease, both successfully and not. A lot of how one comes out emotionally whether they survive or find they have no choice but to face the end is entirely dependent on the depth of fear they have of death.