Depression positively correlated with gynecologic cancers, suggests study
An NHANES-based study found that high depression scores correlated with an increased risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers. Among 11,574 participants, those with gyneoclogical cancers had significantly higher PHQ-9 scores. Depression was associated with ovarian and endometrial cancer but not cervical cancer. These findings highlight the importance of mental health screening in cancer risk assessment.
Depression is one of the leading sources of disease burden globally and plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of many cancers, representing an important health risk. However, the relationship between depression and the risk of gynecologic cancers has not been fully assessed.
This study aims to explore the association between depression and the risk of gynecologic cancers. They selected 11,574 participants from the NHANES 2009–2018 cycles, among which 274 had gynecologic cancer (GC), 137 had cervical cancer (CC), 48 had ovarian cancer (OC), and 89 had endometrial cancer (EC). Box plots were used to assess the differences in PHQ-9 depression scores between cancer and non-cancer groups. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were employed to evaluate the relationship between PHQ-9 scores and gynecologic cancers. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests examined the consistency of the association across different characteristics.
Results: There was a significant difference in PHQ-9 scores between the cancer group and the non-cancer group. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, PHQ-9 scores were positively correlated with gynecologic cancers, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer, while no significant association was found with cervical cancer risk.
Additionally, the RCS model also indicated no nonlinear association between PHQ-9 scores and cervical cancer risk. Additionally, subgroup analyses suggested that the relationship between PHQ-9 scores and cervical cancer and ovarian cancer was consistent across groups, whereas the association between PHQ-9 scores and gynecologic cancers and endometrial cancer showed heterogeneity about race and marital status. Depression is positively correlated with gynecologic cancers. Specifically, higher levels of depression are associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer, while no significant association was found with cervical cancer risk.
Future attention should be given to the impact of depression on the incidence of gynecologic cancers, particularly ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer.
Reference:
Wang, C., Xu, J., Li, X., & Jiang, L. (2025). Depression as a Risk Factor for Gynecological Cancers: Evidence from NHANES Data. International Journal of Women’s Health, 17, 615–625. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S504049
