Comorbid Depression in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Compared With Other Cancers

Abstract

This cohort study found that patients with HNC were twice as likely to screen positive for depression on a validated survey than those with other cancers, despite having similar rates of self-reported depression and depression medication use. These findings suggest that self-reporting of depression may result in underreporting and undertreatment in this population and, thus, a need for further work in developing interventions to improve identification of and optimize treatment for patients with HNC and comorbid depression.