London, Dec 17: Despite the reduced number of prostate cancer deaths due to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, a new study finds a high prevalence of suicide among such patients.
Previous studies had reported that a considerable number of individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer are not going to die of the slow growing disease. The new study, however, points out that many men are unaware of this fact.
According to the study published in PLoS Medicine, the emotional stress imposed following the diagnosis of the disease places sufferers at an 11 and 8 times higher risk of developing cardiovascular events and committing suicide, respectively.
“Stress can be an important trigger for physiologic reactions, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” said lead researcher Meir Stampfer, adding that the “diagnosis of cancer can also cause high enough stress to see a noticeable increase in both heart disease and suicide.”
Scientists stressed that many men are unaware of the dramatic increase in the survival rate of prostate cancer over the past several years.
They therefore urged physicians to monitor their patients for increased cardiovascular and suicide risk when they give out a prostate cancer diagnosis.
–Agencies