Valerie Yang: The critical need for healthcare providers identifies mental health concerns

Valerie Yang, Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School, shared on LinkedIn:

“Hot Off The Press in eClinicalMedicine (Part of The Lancet Discovery Science)!

Up to a quarter of all cancer patients face a unique challenge: their disease is rare. We show that this can have a devastating impact on their mental health. We found that patients with rare cancers are significantly more likely to experience anxiety, depression, PTSD, and even suicides compared to healthy controls or patients with common cancers.

Risk factors for these negative outcomes include advanced disease, receiving chemotherapy, lower income, and lower social status.

Our work highlights the critical need for healthcare providers to be more vigilant in identifying these mental health concerns in this important group of patients. Early intervention can significantly improve their well-being!

Thanks to the fantastic team for putting together this important work. Come join forces with our stellar team at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, SingHealth, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research).

So much more needs to be done, and can be done, for these patients.”

Source: Valerie Yang/LinkedIn