SEATTLE, Oct 22, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Depression is common in older cancer
patients and could be treated in primary care, U.S. researchers said.
The study, published in a supplement of the Journal of General Internal Medicine
on cancer survivorship care, found 55 percent of the patients who received
collaborative treatment, compared with 34 percent receiving the usual care,
showed a 50 percent or greater reduction in depression symptoms.
Participants receiving collaborative care also had more depression-free days,
less fatigue, a better quality of life, less functional impairment and fewer
thoughts of death, the study found.
The collaborative care program, known as Improving Mood-Promoting Access to
Collaborative Treatment, included medication and other care coordinated by a
depression care manager under the supervision of the primary-care provider and a
psychiatrist. IMPACT was used for patients in 18 primary-care clinics in five
states.
"The IMPACT intervention can be successfully provided in diverse types of
primary-care settings in various locations, and not just at specialized cancer
centers," Dr. Jurgen Unutzer of the University of Washington in Seattle said in
a statement. "It can literally double the likelihood that the patient's
depression will improve over time."
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International