Southampton University research shows patients without support more likely to be depressed

October 17, 2016

Researchers followed more than 1,000 with colorectal cancer over 5 years
They found those who lived alone were at double the risk of depression
Experts say it highlights the emotional needs of those affected by cancer

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published:
10:58 EST, 17 October 2016

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Updated:
13:20 EST, 17 October 2016

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Cancer sufferers are nearly three times more likely to be depressed if they don’t have emotional support, scientists claim.

Those without someone to confide in or ask for advice were also twice as likely to have anxiety and low levels of well-being.

Researchers found a sharp reduction in social interaction, affection and practical support after operations.

Cancer patients with no-one to confide in were twice as likely to have anxiety and low levels of well-being, researchers found

While they also discovered triple the amount of patients who said they had ‘little or no affection’ two years after diagnosis compared to one year.

It highlights the needs of people affected by cancer, beyond their medical treatment, experts say.

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Macmillan Cancer Support chief executive Lynda Thomas said it showed the ‘heartbreaking reality for thousands of people with cancer’ with no-one to talk to or ‘cook them a meal when they’re wiped out from chemotherapy’.

She added: ‘It’s hard enough going through cancer when you have support, but without it, you must feel completely lost.’

Scientists followed more than 1,000 people with colorectal cancer from before surgery until five years afterwards

Researchers from Southampton University and Macmillan Cancer Support followed more than 1,000 people with colorectal cancer from before surgery until five years afterwards.

The odds of suffering from anxiety or depression doubled for those living alone, they found.

Ron Peck, 55, a teacher from Sussex, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2011 and felt ‘isolated and abandoned’ during treatment.

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Using the test could cut the number of patients needing to go to hospital for an endoscopy by almost a third, Dutch scientists found.

He said: ‘I’d been warned that the support you have during your treatment can suddenly fall away.

‘I thought I was prepared for it but I ended up feeling emotionally isolated and abandoned.

‘There was a void where my care used to be and there was no-one to talk to about my ongoing side-effects.

‘Many of your friends who initially rallied around move on too. They don’t appreciate the continued impact that cancer has on you.’

Lead researcher Professor Claire Foster said: ‘People can feel isolated following their treatment and those with limited social support are at greater risk of this.

‘More needs to be done to identify and help people who are struggling in the months and years following cancer treatment.’

Macmillan offers information and advice to people affected by cancer on its website www.macmillan.org.uk/carers and through its support line on 0808 808 00 00.