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Cancer patients with depression experience more physical symptoms, pain, and fatigue; have a poorer quality of life; and are more likely to encounter negative thoughts compared with cancer patients who are not depressed. Accurate assessment and treatment of depression can have a positive impact on improving a patient's quality of life. Pharmacotherapy for depression in patients with advanced cancer should be guided by a focus on symptom reduction, irrespective of whether the patient meets the diagnostic criteria for major depression. For effective treatment of a depressive illness, antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral therapy need to be initiated sooner rather than later to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life.
Chris Cb Brown (Tue,) studied this question.