Association between prostate cancer and mental health: a comparison across cancer types using the medical expenditure panel survey, 2017–2022
Menée aux Etats-Unis à partir de données 2017-2022 d'une enquête, cette étude analyse la santé psychique des patients atteints d'un cancer de la prostate
Background: To evaluate whether men with prostate cancer (PCa) experience better mental health outcomes than those with other major cancers, using nationally representative data.
Methods: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component data (2017–2022). Respondents were categorized as having no history of cancer, PCa, or non-prostate cancer (non-PCa). The primary outcome was fair/poor self-rated mental health. Secondary outcomes included major depressive symptoms (PHQ-2 ≥ 3) and serious psychological distress (K6 ≥ 13). Multivariable logistic regression was employed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals, controlling for sociodemographic and health-related covariates.
Results: Among 31,706 respondent-year observations, 41.0% reported fair or poor mental health (40.4% among those with no cancer history, 42.1% with PCa, and 47.2% with non-PCa cancers; p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, non-PCa was associated with higher odds of fair/poor mental health compared to PCa (aOR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05-1.46). Depression and distress rates were low across all groups (e.g., 7.3% and 3.0% in PCa, respectively), and did not differ significantly by cancer history. Exploratory analyses revealed significant variations by specific cancer type, including higher odds of fair/poor mental health (aOR = 1.37; p=0.03) but lower odds of serious psychological distress (aOR = 0.12; p=0.035) among colon cancer survivors compared to PCa survivors.
Conclusions: Self-rated mental health among men with PCa was comparable to individuals with no history of cancer and more favorable than among those with non-PCa malignancies. However, nearly 40% of PCa patients still reported mental health below “good,” supporting the need for continued psychosocial support across cancer survivorship populations.
Implications for Cancer Survivors: While men with PCa demonstrate more favorable mental health profiles than those with other cancers, nearly 40% report mental health status below good. These findings suggest that concerns regarding psychological distress remains highly relevant in survivorship care, including for cancers with highly favorable prognoses.
Journal of Cancer Survivorship , résumé, 2026