Substantiation of connection between affective disorders and development of malignant neoplasms of pancreas: experience of the center

Objective. To analyze the relationship between the affective disorders in the form of anxiety and depression and the development of pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer. Today, there is an interest to the relationship between changes in the emotional sphere of patients with malignant neoplasms (MNO) of the pancreas at the early stages of the disease, when there are no other clinically significant symptoms, which allow suspecting the disease at an early stage.

Materials and methods. A questionnaire survey was carried out in 63 patients with histologically verified cancer of the pancreas and stomach, who were treated at the FGBU RNTSRKhT named after Acad. A.M. Granov in the period from 2018 to 2020. The survey was conducted using the questionnaire of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC-QLQ-C30 «Russian version») and the «Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)», Russian version. Statistical processing of treatment results was carried out using regression analysis and Mann-Whitney test with the SPSS statistical software package (Statistika 13.0). The probability of error p < 0.05 was considered sufficient to conclude that the differences in the data obtained were statistically significant.

Results. In a comparative assessment of the indicators of affective disorders in pancreatic cancer patients, there were noted more pronounced affective disorders, such as «feeling of depression», «feeling of irritation», «anxiety» and «tension», the values of which, according to the results of the analysis of questionnaires, were 1.00 ± 1, 1, 00 ± 1.00 ± 1 and 2.00 ± 1, respectively. In patients with gastric cancer, the values of these affective disorders, according to the survey results, were less pronounced and amounted to 3.00 ± 1.00 ± 1.00, 3.00 ± 1.00, 3.00 ± 1, respectively (p = 0.000).

Conclusions. Severe affective disorders, such as anxiety and depression, in patients with pancreatic cancer should be regarded as a factor of the early manifestation of the disease. Further study of this connection can create a theoretical basis for the development of specialized screening programs to identify patients in the «risk groups» for the development of pancreatic cancer.