Only 3% of older cancer patients with depression began psychotherapy within four weeks of their cancer diagnosis, according to an analysis of Medicare records presented Sept. 28 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting. By 12 weeks, the share had risen to just 4.6%.
The study examined 265,639 Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 and older diagnosed with breast, colorectal, prostate, bladder, kidney, or non-small cell lung cancer from 2010 to 2017, according to ASTRO. About 22% had a diagnosis of major depressive disorder.
