Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effects of low- and high-dose-rate brachytherapy on depressive symptoms in prostate cancer patients

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To compare the prevalence of depressive symptoms between prostate cancer (PCa) patients who have received low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDRB) and those receiving high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRB).

Method

Direct comparisons were made between the prevalence of the DSM-IV-TR symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) based upon Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale responses and patients’ records on 164 PCa patients from Queensland, Australia.

Results

HDRB patients had significantly greater frequency of self-reported symptoms of crying (or feeling like it) (MDD criterion 1), and restlessness and inability to sit still (MDD criterion 5), and a nonsignificant trend towards more frequent fatigue (MDD criterion 7). There was no significant association between fatigue and having received hormone therapy.

Conclusion

These three MDD symptoms, which include one of the two alternative key required symptoms (criterion 1), suggest that HDRB PCa patients may present with clinically significantly different depression profiles from their peers who receive LDRB. Treatment choices need to be focused upon possible serotonergic dysfunction as well as somatic complaints of depression. The presence of subsyndromal depression in HDRB patients also warrants consideration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kronenwetter C, Weidner G, Pettengill E et al (2005) A qualitative analysis of interview of men with early stage prostate cancer: the prostate cancer lifestyle trial. Nursing 28(2):99–107

    Google Scholar 

  2. Jayadevappa R, Malkowicz S, Chhatre S et al (2011) The burden of depression in prostate cancer. Psycho-oncology 21:1338–1345

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Pirl W, Siegel G, Goode M et al (2002) Depression in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer: a pilot study. Psycho-oncology 11:518–523

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Grimm P, Billiet I, Bostwick D et al (2012) Comparative analysis of prostate-specific antigen free survival outcomes for patients with low, intermediate and high risk prostate cancer treatment by radical therapy. Results from the Prostate Cancer Results Study Group. Br J Urol 109:S22–S29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Jongkamp V, Roeloffzen E, Monninkhof E et al (2012) Brachytherapy for prostate cancer does not influence long-term depression rate. Brachytherapy 11:495–501

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hervouet S, Savard J, Simard S et al (2005) Psychological functioning associated with prostate cancer: cross-sectional comparison of patients treated with radiotherapy, brachytherapy, or surgery. J Pain Symptom Manag 30:474–484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Mahomed N, Bovbjerg D, Montgomery G et al (2012) Pretreatment depressive symptoms and treatment modality predict post-treatment disease-specific quality of life among patients with localized prostate cancer. Urol Oncol: Semin Orig Investig 30:804–812

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Wagner W, Bolling T, Hambruegge C et al (2011) Patients’ satisfaction with different modalities of prostate cancer therapy—a retrospective survey among 634 patients. Anticancer Res 31:3903–3908

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Ferrer M, Suarez J, Guedea F et al (2008) Health-related quality of life 2 years after treatment with radical prostatectomy, prostate brachytherapy, or external beam radiotherapy in patients with clinically localised prostate cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 72:421–432

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. APA (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-V. American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  11. Zung W (1965) A self-rating depression scale. Arch Gen Psychiatry 12:63–70

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Zung W (1973) From art to science: the diagnosis and treatment of depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 29:328–337

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. DeJonge J, Baneke J (1989) The Zung self-rating depression scale: a replication study on reliability, validity and prediction. Psychol Rep 64:833–834

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Gabrys J, Peters K (1985) Reliability, discriminant and predictive validity of the Zung self-rating depression scale. Psychol Rep 57:1091–1096

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Schaefer A, Brown J, Watson C et al (1985) Comparison of the validities of the Beck, Zung and MMPI depression scales. J Consult Clin Psychol 53:415–418

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Sharpley C, Bitsika V, Christie D (2009) Understanding the causes of depression among prostate cancer patients: development of the effects of prostate cancer on lifestyle questionnaire. Psycho-oncology 18:162–168

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Sharpley C, Christie D (2007) An analysis of the psychometric structure and frequency of anxiety and depression in Australian men with prostate cancer. Psycho-oncology 16:660–667

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Shafer A (2006) Meta-analysis of the factor structures of four depression inventories: Beck, CES-D, Hamilton, and Zung. J Clin Psychol 62:123–146

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Agrell B, Dehlin O (1989) Comparison of six depression scales in geriatric stroke patients. Stroke 20:1190–1194

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Judd L, Akiskal H, Maser J et al (1998) A prospective 12-year study of subsyndromal and syndromal depressive symptoms in unipolar major depressive disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry 55:694–700

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Judd L, Akiskal H, Paulus M (1997) The role and clinical significance of subsyndromal depressive symptoms (SSD) in unipolar major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord 45:5–18

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Judd L, Paulus M, Wells K et al (1996) Socioeconomic burden of subsyndromal depressive symptoms and major depression in a sample of the general population. Am J Psychiatry 163:1411–1417

    Google Scholar 

  23. Judd L, Rapaport M, Paulus M et al (1994) Subsyndromal symptomatic depression: a new mood disorder? J Clin Psychiatry 55(4, Suppl):18–28

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Lyness J, Heo M, Datto C et al (2006) Outcomes of minor and subsyndromal depression among elderly patients in primary care settings. Ann Intern Med 144(7):496–504

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Hassler G, Drevets W, Manji H et al (2004) Discovering endophenotypes for major depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 29:1765–1781

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Conn V (2010) Depressive symptom outcomes of physical activity interventions: meta-analysis findings. Ann Behav Med 39:128–138

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to report.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brain-Behaviour Research Group, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia

    Christopher F. Sharpley & David H. R. Christie

  2. Premion, Tugin, QLD, 4223, Australia

    David H. R. Christie & Andrew J. Oar

  3. Brain-Behaviour Research Group, Bond University, University Drive, Robina, 4229, Australia

    Vicki Bitsika

Authors
  1. Christopher F. Sharpley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David H. R. Christie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vicki Bitsika
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Andrew J. Oar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher F. Sharpley.

About this article

Cite this article

Sharpley, C.F., Christie, D.H.R., Bitsika, V. et al. The effects of low- and high-dose-rate brachytherapy on depressive symptoms in prostate cancer patients. Int J Clin Oncol 19, 1080–1084 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-013-0647-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-013-0647-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation