Almost half of all women with early breast cancer experience depression or anxiety in their first year after diagnosis, reveals a study published in the current issue of the British Medical Journal.
The researchers conclude that more support for women with early stage breast cancer is essential.
The study, headed by Dr Caroline Burgess at Cancer Research UK's London Psychosocial Group at King's College London, looked at more than 200 women under 60 years of age with early stage breast cancer, and followed their progress over five years.
They found that in the first year after diagnosis, depression and anxiety are twice as common in women with early stage breast cancer compared with the general female population. However, after the first year, women in remission have levels of depression and anxiety that are similar to the general female population.
The number of women experiencing depression and anxiety fell from 48 per cent in the first year to 15 per cent by the fifth year after diagnosis, which may reflect women adjusting to their diagnosis and treatment.
However, more women experienced depression and anxiety soon after their diagnosis of a relapse compared with women after an initial diagnosis.
There were 39 patients who had a recurrence within five years, and of these patients 45 per cent experienced depression within three months, compared with 36 per cent within three months of initial diagnosis.
The study also found that risk factors for depression and anxiety were related to individual circumstances rather than the extent of the disease or its treatment.