Volume 191 - Issue 5
Anxiety and depression among long-term survivors of cancer in Australia: results of a population-based survey
Authors: Allison W Boyes, Afaf Girgis, Alison C Zucca and Christophe Lecathelinais
Med J Aust 2009; 191 (5): 294-295. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02801.x
Published online: 7 September 2009
Published online: 7 September 2009
In reply: We thank Couper and colleagues for their interest in our article,1 but reiterate that we focused on anxiety and depression experienced by long-term cancer survivors, specifically at 5–6 years after diagnosis. We agree that longitudinal studies are vital for understanding the level of psychological distress experienced during the years since diagnosis, and as discussed in our article, we are currently undertaking a longitudinal study with a diversity of cancer patients to assess a comprehensive range of physical, psychological, social and lifestyle effects of cancer.
Although opinions on the performance of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) vary, it is one of the most popular measures of psychological distress, and has been used extensively across the cancer continuum.2 A recent review of the validity of the HADS concluded that it performs well in screening for caseness of anxiety disorders and depression in a range of patient populations, including patients with cancer, and in the general population.3
We acknowledge that our study had the strengths and limitations normally associated with recruiting through a population-based cancer registry.4 Nevertheless, our results are consistent with a growing body of evidence indicating that most cancer survivors are doing well 5 or more years after diagnosis.5 We believe our conclusions are justified.
References
- Boyes AW, Girgis A, Zucca AC, Lecathelinais C. Anxiety and depression among long-term survivors of cancer in Australia: results of a population-based survey. Med J Aust 2009; 190 (7 Suppl): S94-S98. CBBJIHBH
- Erickson P. Assessing health status and quality of life of cancer patients: the use of general instruments. In: Lipscomb J, Gotay CC, Snyder C, editors. Outcomes assessment in cancer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005: 31-68.
- Bjelland I, Dahl AA, Haug TT, et al. The validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: an updated literature review. J Psychosom Res 2002; 52: 69-77. CBBJFHDH
- Pakilit AT, Kahn BA, Petersen L. Making effective use of tumor registries for cancer survivorship research. Cancer 2001; 92: 1305-1314. CBBCGEIC
- Foster C, Wright D, Hill H, et al. Psychosocial implications of living 5 years or more following a cancer diagnosis: a systematic review of the research evidence. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) 2009; 18: 223-247. CBBIGAHI