Four-year associations of cancer trajectories with changes in depression and grip strength among middle-aged and older adult Europeans

• Women reported higher baseline depression scores across all cancer trajectories. • Men, across all trajectories, showed a greater increase in depression levels over four years • Women with continued CA trajectory indicated GS loss of 1.7% and a 10.5% reduction in depression. • Men with continued CA trajectory reported GS loss of 7.9% and a 12.3% increase in depression. Cancer is strongly associated with depression. Grip strength (GS) is a widely used functional test to assess strength, functional status, and depression. This study aimed to explore the associations between various cancer trajectories and changes in depression levels and GS over four years in European aged 50 years and older. A longitudinal analysis was conducted with 17,048 participants (9,330 men) aged ≥50 from 17 European countries. Participants responded to waves 6 and 8 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) project. The participants reported the diagnosis of cancer according to a medical diagnosis. GS was measured twice on each hand using a dynamometer, while depression was assessed using the 12-item EURO-D scale. Women reported higher baseline depression scores across all cancer trajectories. However, men exhibited a greater increase in depression levels from baseline to four years later, regardless of the cancer trajectory. Notably, within the continued CA trajectory, women had GS loss of 1.7% and a 10.5% reduction in depression, while men reported GS loss of 7.9% and a 12.3% increase in depression. We found a significant effect of time on depression for men, but not for women, as well as a significant time × group interaction for men and women. For GS, we found a significant effect of time on depression for men and women, and a significant time × group interaction for men and women. Improvements in GS may be beneficial in supporting the treatment of depression among cancer survivors.