"Depression linked to higher chance of dying from cancer," The Independent reports. Analysis of English and Scottish data found a link between mental distress and cancer mortality, which remained even after other factors such as smoking were taken into account.
However, you definitely should not assume this means lots of people with mental health problems will get cancer, or that mental distress causes cancer.
The researchers say that only 8% of people with mental distress went on to die from colorectal cancer, one of the more common cancers.
There are a lot of reasons why mental health might affect the risk of death from cancer. The researchers tried to take account of some of these, for example links with smoking and exercise. But they didn’t have information about other factors, such as decisions to seek help for cancer symptoms. People with mental distress might get diagnosed later, or be less inclined to go along with treatment.
Possible biological links to cancer include raised levels of inflammation in the body due to psychological stress.
An important point the study does raise is that physical health and mental health are connected at a fundamental level. Poor mental health can affect you physically and vice versa.
Depression and anxiety are illnesses that can, and should, be treated. If you or someone you know is suffering mental distress, talk to your GP.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from University College London, Edinburgh University and the University of Sydney and had no specific funding. The study was published in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal (BMJ) on an open-access basis, so it’s free to read online.
The Mail Online, The Sun and The Independent produced broadly accurate coverage of the study, although the reporting tended to overstate the findings, suggesting that anxiety and depression were big risk factors for cancer.
The Daily Telegraph misunderstood the study entirely, saying that "the people who were most distressed by their diagnosis were 32 per cent more likely to die from their cancer" and "staying positive could be the best way to fight the disease".
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