Terminal cancer care should do more to treat depression

By Janice Neumann (Reuters Health) - (Corrects in paragraphs 1 and 7 of Feb 26, 2015 story , that the doctors surveyed for the study were in The Netherlands, not Norway.) Depression could be clouding the last 24 hours of life for a significant number of people with advanced cancer, pointing to a need for better – and earlier - psychological help, according to a large study in The Netherlands. Although it’s challenging to tease apart depression symptoms from the pain, fatigue and cognitive problems associated with end-stage cancer, more can be done to alleviate depression and anxiety, researchers said. “Health care providers may think this is a normal part of the dying process,” said lead author Dr. Elene Janberidze from the European Palliative Care Research Center at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. “However, some patients experiencing depressive symptoms and/or depression can be treated and thus both the patients and their families may have a better quality of life,” Janberidze told Reuters Health in an email.



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