Depression and fatigue do not increase cancer risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Those suffering from 'vital exhaustion' do not run an increased risk of developing cancer, according to a new study.
Vital exhaustion is a condition where someone is excessively fatigued, irritable and demoralized. It's been linked to heart disease, as has clinical depression. Now researchers at the Danish Cancer Society's Institute of Cancer Epidemiology have looked at whether there's also a link between vital exhaustion, depression and cancer.

They followed a group of nearly 9,000 individuals and found that those with high vital exhaustion scores tended to indulge in riskier behaviors, such as smoking, that would increase cancer risk. But there was no link between vital exhaustion itself and cancer. There was no link, either, between depressive symptoms and an increased risk of cancer. Nevertheless, exhaustion should be addressed if it leads people into a less than healthy lifestyle.

Source
Cancer online 8th August 2005 (print 15th September)