Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Literature Review

Background: We aimed to review published studies to obtain the best estimate of the risk of depression and anxiety among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Methods: We searched the PubMed/Medline database, Web of Science, and Google Scholar on the prevalence of depression or anxiety in CRC patients. A review of 15 studies published between June 1967 and June 2018 were conducted, and 93,805 CRC patients were included. Results: The prevalence of depression among patients diagnosed with CRC ranged from 1.6%–57%, and those of anxiety ranged from 1.0%–47.2%. Studies in which an expert (psychiatrist) administered the interviews reported lower prevalence of both depression and anxiety. Conclusion: The findings of this review suggest that patients with CRC exhibited a significantly high prevalence of both depression and anxiety, and these symptoms can persist even after cancer treatment is completed. However, the correlation of age and the emergence of depression or anxiety in CRC patients still remain controversial.