A study analyzing mental health outcomes in nonmelanoma skin cancer patients found that initial differences in depression and psychological distress largely disappear when accounting for sociodemographic and clinical factors, suggesting the burden stems from broader social and health conditions rather than the cancer itself.
Study Design and Sample
Researchers examined data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), analyzing 312,317 individuals from the 2023 survey who had complete demographic and disease information. The sample was predominantly women (50.62%; n = 158,087) and aged 18 to 64 years (63.52%; n = 198,394). The majority identified as White (81.21%; n = 253,634), with smaller proportions identifying as Asian (8.62%; n = 26,936), Black (2.10%; n = 6,551), American Indian or Alaska Native (2.84%; n = 8,865), Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (0.65%; n = 2,041), multiracial (1.84%; n = 5,742), or other (2.74%; n = 8,548).
Key Findings
Only 8.50% (n = 26,552) of respondents reported a nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis. Among those with the diagnosis, 19.15% (n = 5,086) reported depression. Unadjusted analyses showed patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer reported more poor mental health days than those without (4.54 [8.37] vs 3.20 [7.37] days). However, after adjusting for age, sex, comorbid conditions, income, education, body mass index, and race and ethnicity, the nonmelanoma skin cancer diagnosis was not significantly associated with depression (adjusted OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.98-1.05). Adjusted analyses further showed a slight reduction in poor mental health days among patients with the cancer (adjusted rate ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91-0.97).
Common comorbid conditions in the overall sample included lung disease (19.55%; n = 61,054), another form of cancer (11.74%; n = 36,672), heart disease (11.03%; n = 34,461), and kidney disease (4.72%; n = 14,733). Overall, 21.31% (n = 88,524) reported depression.
Study Implications
The authors stated: “These findings suggest that the differences in mental health burden are largely explained by sociodemographic and comorbid factors instead of the nonmelanoma skin cancer itself.” They acknowledged limitations including the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported variables, which could introduce misclassification. Despite these constraints, researchers concluded that “recognizing and addressing the mental health burden associated with nonmelanoma skin cancer can lead to more holistic, equitable, and patient-centered care strategies.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.ajmc.com/view/mental-health-distress-in-nonmelanoma-skin-cancer-largely-driven-by-sociodemographic-comorbid-factors