Risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia, 1981-2002
OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia from 1981 to 2002. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS: Retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with cancer in WA from 1981 to 2002, using data from the WA Linked Database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Age-st...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Australasian Medical Publishing Company
2008
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| Online Access: | http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/188_03_040208/dor10146_fm.html http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37700 |
| _version_ | 1848755120235347968 |
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| author | Dormer, N. McCaul, Kieran Kristjanson, Linda |
| author_facet | Dormer, N. McCaul, Kieran Kristjanson, Linda |
| author_sort | Dormer, N. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia from 1981 to 2002. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS: Retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with cancer in WA from 1981 to 2002, using data from the WA Linked Database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Age-standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). RESULTS: A total of 121 533 patients were diagnosed with cancer, corresponding to a total of 543 696 person-years at risk. There were 129 suicides in this group (108 in men). The SMR for suicide in cancer patients was 1.61 (95% CI, 1.36-1.92). An initial period of peak risk was seen in the first 3 months after cancer diagnosis (SMR, 5.75; 95% CI, 3.89-8.51), mainly in patients with a poor prognosis. A second peak period of risk was found to occur 12-14 months after diagnosis (SMR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.11-4.89) in those with a good or moderate prognosis. CONCLUSION: The rate of suicide in cancer patients in WA is low and represents an excess of two to three suicides per year, or 0.3% of all cancer deaths, comparable to studies in other Western countries. The risk is highest in the first 3 months after diagnosis, and a second period of increased risk 12-14 months after diagnosis may occur in response to cancer recurrence or treatment failure. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:51:15Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-37700 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:51:15Z |
| publishDate | 2008 |
| publisher | Australasian Medical Publishing Company |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-377002017-01-30T14:06:40Z Risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia, 1981-2002 Dormer, N. McCaul, Kieran Kristjanson, Linda OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia from 1981 to 2002. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS: Retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with cancer in WA from 1981 to 2002, using data from the WA Linked Database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Age-standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). RESULTS: A total of 121 533 patients were diagnosed with cancer, corresponding to a total of 543 696 person-years at risk. There were 129 suicides in this group (108 in men). The SMR for suicide in cancer patients was 1.61 (95% CI, 1.36-1.92). An initial period of peak risk was seen in the first 3 months after cancer diagnosis (SMR, 5.75; 95% CI, 3.89-8.51), mainly in patients with a poor prognosis. A second peak period of risk was found to occur 12-14 months after diagnosis (SMR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.11-4.89) in those with a good or moderate prognosis. CONCLUSION: The rate of suicide in cancer patients in WA is low and represents an excess of two to three suicides per year, or 0.3% of all cancer deaths, comparable to studies in other Western countries. The risk is highest in the first 3 months after diagnosis, and a second period of increased risk 12-14 months after diagnosis may occur in response to cancer recurrence or treatment failure. 2008 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37700 http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/188_03_040208/dor10146_fm.html Australasian Medical Publishing Company restricted |
| spellingShingle | Dormer, N. McCaul, Kieran Kristjanson, Linda Risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia, 1981-2002 |
| title | Risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia, 1981-2002 |
| title_full | Risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia, 1981-2002 |
| title_fullStr | Risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia, 1981-2002 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia, 1981-2002 |
| title_short | Risk of suicide in cancer patients in Western Australia, 1981-2002 |
| title_sort | risk of suicide in cancer patients in western australia, 1981-2002 |
| url | http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/188_03_040208/dor10146_fm.html http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37700 |