Comparison of anxiety and depressive of head and neck cancer patients before and during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.

 

Jiani Liu and colleagues from  Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China,  studied the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anxiety and depressive symptoms of cancer patients before and during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 526 head and neck cancer patients were included in the final analysis; 27% of cases experienced anxiety and depression before the pandemic and 50 % during the COVID-19 pandemic. (P=0.018).

The present study demonstrates the significant impact of COVID-19 on the psychological states of cancer patients. This findings indicating the need for appropriate changes in treatment decisions, enhanced psychotherapy, and interventions to reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression, and even suicide during the pandemic.