| Abstract [eng] |
Certain groups of people seem to have an elevated risk of committing suicide, and a number of studies reported an increased risk of suicide among cancer patients. In this study, we aim to estimate the risk of suicide among cancer patients in Lithuania over the period 1993–2012. The records of patients diagnosed with primary cancer were extracted from the population-based Lithuanian Cancer Registry, and 273 511 cases of first cancer were included in the analysis. Sex-, age-, and calendar period-standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated by dividing the observed numbers of suicides among cancer patients by the expected number using national rates. An increased suicide risk was found for both sexes combined (SMR=1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21–1.41) as compared to the general population. For all cancer sites except melanoma and skin, and breast and thyroid cancers, the relative suicide risk was elevated. The suicide risk was almost 3-fold higher for advanced stage patients compared to the general population (SMR=2.89, 95% CI 2.24−3.73). The highest suicide risk observed in our study was during the first 3 months following cancer diagnosis (SMR=2.43, 95% CI 1.96−3.01), indicating a critical period shortly after diagnosis. Despite ongoing rises in survival among cancer patients and declines in suicide mortality in the general Lithuanian population during our study period, the increasing risk for suicide indicates that multidisciplinary preventive interventions are required for this group of patients. |
