Depression may make people less responsive to cancer treatment, says study

Low levels make people less responsive to cancer drugs and less tolerant of their side-effects.

New Delhi: A new study conducted by researchers states that depression can possibly make people less responsive to chemotherapy.

The findings, presented at ESMO Asia 2016 Congress in Singapore, stated that cancer patients suffering depression have decreased amounts of brain-derived neurotophic factor (BDNF) in their blood.

Low levels make people less responsive to cancer drugs and less tolerant of their side-effects.

Patients with severe depression had lower levels of the protein in the blood so their bodies were not as effective at fighting cancer.

This reduced their chance of surviving the disease."It`s crucial doctors pay more attention to the mood and emotional state of patients.

Depression can reduce the effects of chemotherapy and BDNF plays an important role in this process," said lead study author Yufeng Wu from Zhengzhou University in China.

BDNF is essential for healthy brain function and low levels have already been linked with mental illness.

This study aimed to discover how depression influenced outcomes for people with advanced lung cancer.

The researchers recruited 186 newly diagnosed patients receiving chemotherapy.

(With ANI inputs)