Molecular mechanisms and clinical value of the correlation between depression and cancer.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of molecular mechanisms and clinical correlations without systematic search or original data
PubMed 40381122 · doi:10.1007/s12032-025-02763-9
What was done
This is a narrative review synthesizing literature on the molecular mechanisms and clinical links between depression and cancer. The authors summarize pathways through which depression may promote tumorigenesis (including immunosuppression, apoptosis inhibition, DNA damage, mesenchymal transition, stemness, and angiogenesis), how tumors drive depression through inflammatory factors, and the diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
What was found
The abstract reports no original quantitative results. It cites a general global depression prevalence of approximately 3.8% and notes increased incidence of depression among cancer patients. The review notes that evidence on whether timely treatment of depression reduces cancer risk or improves cancer prognosis remains limited and inconclusive.
Why it matters
The review organizes current understanding of neuro-immune and biological interactions in psycho-oncology, highlighting gaps in clinical evidence regarding whether psychiatric intervention alters oncologic outcomes.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks systematic search criteria, study quality appraisal, and meta-analytic synthesis. No primary clinical or experimental data, sample sizes, or quantitative effect sizes are reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Depression affects almost 4% of the global population.