Cancer screenings less likely in people with mental illness

Takeaway

• Patients with mental illness are significantly less likely to receive cancer screenings than those without mental illness, especially women with schizophrenia, according to a meta-analysis that included 4.5 million people in all continents except Africa.

Why this matters

• People with mental illness have a greater risk for cancer-related death compared with those without mental illness.

Study design

• A meta-analysis of 46 studies focusing on any type of cancer screening in patients with mental illness (patients with mental illness, n=501,559; control individuals, n=4,216,280).
• Funding: None.

Key results

• Median quality of studies: 7 (interquartile range, 6-8).
• Disparities in cancer screening were noted in patients with mental illness vs control patients (P<.001):
  • any cancer: OR, 0.76;
  • breast cancer: OR, 0.65;
  • cervical cancer: OR, 0.89; and
  • prostate cancer: OR, 0.78.
• However, this trend was not observed for colorectal cancer (OR, 1.02; P=.75).
• Compared with the control group, screening frequency in patients with schizophrenia was:
  • any cancer: OR, 0.62 (P<.001);
  • breast cancer: OR, 0.52 (P<.001); and
  • cervical cancer: OR, 0.75 (P=.010).
• Screening frequency in patients with mood disorders vs control was:
  • less likely for any (OR, 0.85) and breast (OR, 0.77; P _both<.001) cancer;
  • more likely for colorectal cancer (OR, 1.18; P=.036).

Limitations

• Findings should be interpreted with caution.

Coauthored with Chitra Ravi, MPharm