Suicide after a Diagnosis of Cancer - Follow-Up of 1.4 Million Individuals, 2009–2019

Sep 24, 2026

Explores whether Polish cancer patients experience elevated suicide risk and addresses the need to understand and mitigate distinct mental health challenges. Uses a cohort design based on Polish National Cancer Registry data for diagnoses from 2009–2019, reporting age-, sex-, and year-standardized mortality ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Analyzes 1.43 million individuals and 830 suicide cases, finding the highest risk within the first six months after diagnosis and across several cancer sites, concluding that suicide-risk screening and prevention should be integrated into cancer care.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages17

Reading Time43 min

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cancers Article Suicide after a Diagnosis of Cancer: Follow-Up of 1.4 Million Individuals, 2009–2019 Irmina Maria Michalek *, Florentino Luciano Caetano dos Santos, Urszula Wojciechowska and Joanna Didkowska Citation: Michalek, I.M.; Caetano dos Santos, F.L.; Wojciechowska, U.; Didkowska, J. Suicide after a Diagnosis of Cancer: Follow-Up of 1.4 Million Individuals, 2009–2019 . Cancers 2023, 15, 4315. [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[doi.org/10.3390/cancers15174315](doi.org/10.3390/cancers15174315) Academic Editor: Pamela L. Wolters Received: 29 July 2023 Revised: 21 August 2023 Accepted: 25 August 2023 Published: 29 August 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . Polish National Cancer Registry, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland * Correspondence: [irmina.michalek@nio.gov.pl](irmina.michalek@nio.gov.pl) Simple Summary: Cancer patients in Poland face a higher risk of suicide. The study focused on over 1 million individuals diagnosed with cancer between 2009 and 2019 . Within the ﬁrst six months of diagnosis, the suicide risk spiked signiﬁcantly. Cancers of the esophagus, stomach, cervix, and head and neck showed the highest risk. This highlights the urgent need for better mental health support in cancer care, especially during the crucial post-diagnosis period. Detecting signs of suicide risk early on could make a life-saving difference and shape more effective healthcare strategies. Abstract: Background: The study explores whether Polish cancer patients face elevated suicide risk, emphasizing the vital need to comprehend and mitigate their unique mental health struggles. Methods: We conducted a cohort study based on Polish National Cancer Registry data (diagnosis in 2009–2019) . Age-, sex-, and year-standardized mortality ratios (SMR) are presented with 95% conﬁdence intervals (CIs) overall and by sex. Results: The study included 1.43 million individuals diagnosed with cancer. There were 830 suicide cases in this group. The overall SMR for suicide was 1.34 (95% CI 1.25–1.43) . The highest risk of suicide death was observed in the ﬁrst six months after diagnosis (SMR = 1.94, 1.69–2.21): cancers of the heart and pleura (19.15, 2.32–69.18), an unspeciﬁed site (3.99, 1.09–10.22), and the esophagus (3.34, 1.08–7.79) . The highest overall risk of suicide after cancer diagnosis was observed in esophageal (2.94, 1.47–5.26), gastric (2.70, 2.00–3.57), cervical (2.20, 1.06–4.05), and head and neck cancers (2.06, 1.52–2.72) . Conclusions: Patients with cancer face signiﬁcantly higher suicide risk, peaking within six months post-diagnosis. Urgent integration of suicide risk screening and prevention into cancer care is crucial, supporting mental well-being and guiding proactive healthcare strategies. Keywords: cancer; suicide; risk; epidemiology; cohort study 1. Introduction Cancer is a signiﬁcant contributor to the global burden of disease, and it is forecast that this burden will continue to grow for at least the next two decades [1] . There is widespread agreement that a cancer diagnosis substantially impacts human mental well-being, possibly inducing suicidal behaviors [2,3] . There is evidence that suicide rates are higher in patients with cancer than in the general population [4–7] . Even if, compared to other causes of death, the fraction of suicidal deaths among patients with cancer is minimal, the majority of these fatalities are potentially avoidable. Global concern about the risk of dying by suicide by individuals previously diagnosed with cancer is growing [8–12] . According to a widely referenced British study, patients w

FAQs

How was suicide risk assessed in the study?

A cohort study used Polish National Cancer Registry data covering diagnoses from 2009–2019, and reported standardized mortality ratios (SMR) with 95% confidence intervals.

What time period showed the highest suicide risk after cancer diagnosis?

The first six months after diagnosis showed the highest suicide risk, with a peak SMR reported in that window.

Which cancer sites had the highest overall suicide risk?

The study highlights elevated overall suicide risk for esophageal, gastric, cervical, and head and neck cancers.

Sep 24, 2026

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