MEASURING SOMATIC SYMPTOMS WITH THE CES-D TO ASSESS DEPRESSION IN CANCER PATIENTS AFTER TREATMENT, VALID OR NOT? COMPARISON BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK, GYNAECOLOGICAL, COLO-RECTAL, AND BREAST CANCER

The prevalence of depression after cancer treatment is high. In literature several authors have raised questions about assessing somatic symptoms after cancer treatment to explore depression. They stated that the somatic sequela are a consequence of cancer treatment and are therefor causing the high depression rates in cancer patients. In this study we analysed the somatic domain on a depression questionnaire (CES-D) in cancer patients after treatment, in comparison with a control group, and we compared between cancer groups. Data of 566 cancer patients (head and neck, gynaecological, colo-rectal and breast cancer), and 255 randomly chosen control patients were analysed. The total score of the CES-D on the domain somatic retarded activity is significantly (p < 0.01) different for cancer groups and control group. But the cancer groups score lower (colo-rectal cancer) as well as higher (head and neck, breast) than the control group on the somatic domain. We conclude that cancer patients are not a homogenous group of patients concerning somatic sequela and therefor we can not find evidence te remove somatic items from depression questionnaires for patients after cancer treatment