Newswise — Los Angeles — A new study published in JAMA Network Open from the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, shows that among all cancer survivors, male adolescents and young adults This suggests that adults (AYA) have the highest suicide mortality rate.
The study also reported that the number of suicide deaths among the AYA male cancer survivor group (ages 15-39) tripled over the 21-year study period. In 2021, one in 65 deaths within the group is thought to be due to suicide. Although suicide deaths have increased in other cancer survivor groups, the gap in suicide rates between young men and other groups has widened significantly over time.
According to the American Cancer Society and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, cancer is becoming increasingly common among young people, and cancer survivors are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. It is said that there is. This study was one of the first to examine suicide rates among AYA cancer patients by gender, and characterized the increased suicide rate in this population as alarming.
Researchers used data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program to assess approximately 4.5 million deaths among cancer survivors from 2000 to 2021. A cancer survivor is defined as anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer, regardless of the course of the disease.
The data was then divided into three age groups: 15-39, 40-59, and 60+, and each group was further divided by male or female.
The study found that in 2000, 4.9 per 1,000 deaths among male AYA cancer patients were due to suicide, and suicide rates for all other age/gender cancer patient groups ranged from 0.4 per 1,000 deaths. It was in the range of 3.1 people.
Almost 20 years later, in 2021, the number of suicide deaths per 1,000 deaths among male AYA cancer patients has jumped to 15.4. Suicide mortality rates for all other age/gender cancer patient groups also increased, but at rates much lower than suicide mortality rates for male AYA cancer patients, ranging from 0.6 to 7.4 per 1,000 deaths. It was a range.
In other findings, researchers determined that thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, and cutaneous melanoma are the three most common cancer diagnoses leading to suicide among male AYA cancer patients. . According to the American Cancer Society, these three cancers have some of the highest five-year survival rates. At the time, researchers did not have access to specific information about patients, including their mental health prior to cancer diagnosis, reason and method of suicide, patient’s cancer prognosis, and cancer status, such as disease recurrence or remission. There wasn’t. of death.
However, despite these limitations, the study authors believe their results merit a call for attention focused on suicide rates among AYA patients, particularly men. They recommend providing AYA cancer patients with more long-term support and resources that may reverse this trend.
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For more information about Keck Medicine at USC, visit news.KeckMedicine.org.
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Keck Medicine supports young cancer patients through USC’s Youth and Young Adult Program. The program provides cancer patients ages 15 to 39 with supportive care, advocacy, support groups, events, and other resources to improve health outcomes and quality of life.
National resources for young cancer survivors include:
For anyone considering suicide, the National Institute of Mental Health’s Suicide Prevention Resources and Suicide Lifeline can help.
