Why the study?
Do previous emotional problems and physical limitations increase the risk of death in newly diagnosed cancer patients?
Population
871 adult (≥ 21 years of age) newly diagnosed breast, colon, lung, and prostate carcinoma patients in Michigan
Comparison
Previous emotional problems or physical… vs No prior history of emotional problems or…
Design
Cohort
Follow-up
571 days (19 months)
Authors
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Pre-diagnosis emotional problems and physical limitations identify high early-mortality risk in cancer; observational data leave open whether screening or intervention improves survival.
Do previous emotional problems and physical limitations increase the risk of death in newly diagnosed cancer patients?
A history of emotional problems and physical limitations prior to cancer diagnosis strongly predicts early mortality, whereas new symptoms post-diagnosis do not.
Stommel et al. (2002) studied this question.
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