Table 4.
Suicide in Patients With Cancer by Site and Years Since Diagnosis
| Cancer Site* | Time Since Diagnosis
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 Years | 5 to 10 Years | 10 to 15 Years | 15 to 30 Years | |
| All | ||||
| No. of suicides | 3,202 | 858 | 313 | 199 |
| Person-years accrued | 7,657,131 | 3,546,942 | 1,665,199 | 1,225,617 |
| SMR†‡ | 2.38 | 1.58 | 1.43 | 1.43 |
| 95% CI | 2.30 to 2.46 | 1.47 to 1.69 | 1.28 to 1.60 | 1.24 to 1.64 |
| Lung and bronchus | ||||
| No. of suicides | 565 | 30 | 8 | 7 |
| Person-years accrued | 410,217 | 81,196 | 31,885 | 18,012 |
| SMR†‡ | 6.60 | 2.00 | 1.42 | 2.31 |
| 95% CI | 6.07 to 7.17 | 1.35 to 2.86 | 0.61 to 2.75 | 0.93 to 4.67 |
| Stomach | ||||
| No. of suicides | 89 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Person-years accrued | 78,953 | 20,269 | 8,886 | 5,378 |
| SMR†‡ | 5.16 | 2.57 | 0.62 | NA |
| 95% CI | 4.15 to 6.35 | 1.24 to 4.68 | 0.02 to 3.07 | |
| Oral cavity and pharynx | ||||
| No. of suicides | 142 | 27 | 10 | 12 |
| Person-years accrued | 138,201 | 58,162 | 27,669 | 18,449 |
| SMR†‡ | 4.65 | 2.23 | 1.81 | 3.38 |
| 95% CI | 3.92 to 5.48 | 1.47 to 3.23 | 0.87 to 3.29 | 1.75 to 5.85 |
| Larynx | ||||
| No. of suicides | 64 | 19 | 11 | 6 |
| Person-years accrued | 77,607 | 37,869 | 19,039 | 12,628 |
| SMR†‡ | 3.27 | 2.10 | 2.53 | 2.17 |
| 95% CI | 2.52 to 4.17 | 1.27 to 3.26 | 1.26 to 4.48 | 0.80 to 4.64 |
| Hodgkin's lymphoma | ||||
| No. of suicides | 25 | 15 | 7 | 3 |
| Person-years accrued | 74,138 | 44,024 | 25,765 | 21,882 |
| SMR†‡ | 2.27 | 2.39 | 1.96 | 1.02 |
| 95% CI | 1.47 to 3.33 | 1.34 to 3.92 | 0.79 to 3.96 | 0.21 to 2.85 |
| Kidney | ||||
| No. of suicides | 60 | 19 | 8 | 3 |
| Person-years accrued | 135,349 | 58,227 | 26,327 | 17,542 |
| SMR†‡ | 2.25 | 1.81 | 1.84 | 1.14 |
| 95% CI | 1.72 to 2.90 | 1.09 to 2.82 | 0.79 to 3.57 | 0.23 to 3.18 |
| Thyroid | ||||
| No. of suicides | 21 | 12 | 4 | 2 |
| Person-years accrued | 144,650 | 86,983 | 50,786 | 47,828 |
| SMR†‡ | 1.29 | 1.26 | 0.74 | 0.40 |
| 95% CI | 0.80 to 1.96 | 0.65 to 2.18 | 0.20 to 1.83 | 0.05 to 1.34 |
| Nervous system | ||||
| No. of suicides | 27 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Person-years accrued | 78,245 | 30,561 | 15,298 | 11,394 |
| SMR†‡ | 2.59 | 1.53 | 2.08 | 3.25 |
| 95% CI | 1.71 to 3.76 | 0.49 to 3.48 | 0.42 to 5.83 | 0.65 to 9.08 |
| Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma | ||||
| No. of suicides | 116 | 26 | 11 | 3 |
| Person-years accrued | 247,260 | 96,071 | 39,611 | 23,560 |
| SMR†‡ | 2.62 | 1.66 | 1.81 | 0.89 |
| 95% CI | 2.17 to 3.15 | 1.08 to 2.42 | 0.91 to 3.21 | 0.18 to 2.48 |
| Leukemias | ||||
| No. of suicides | 56 | 14 | 2 | 5 |
| Person-years accrued | 166,683 | 62,505 | 25,581 | 16,356 |
| SMR†‡ | 2.01 | 1.60 | 0.68 | 3.50 |
| 95% CI | 1.52 to 2.61 | 0.88 to 2.67 | 0.08 to 2.29 | 1.13 to 7.96 |
| Colorectal | ||||
| No. of suicides | 367 | 103 | 34 | 20 |
| Person-years accrued | 869,291 | 371,158 | 176,756 | 112,740 |
| SMR†‡ | 2.19 | 1.56 | 1.16 | 1.15 |
| 95% CI | 1.97 to 2.43 | 1.27 to 1.89 | 0.80 to 1.61 | 0.71 to 1.78 |
| Bladder | ||||
| No. of suicides | 163 | 56 | 26 | 11 |
| Person-years accrued | 315,809 | 154,763 | 73,444 | 47,266 |
| SMR†‡ | 1.99 | 1.53 | 1.62 | 1.15 |
| 95% CI | 1.69 to 2.32 | 1.15 to 1.98 | 1.06 to 2.37 | 0.58 to 2.05 |
| Skin, nonbasal | ||||
| No. of suicides | 90 | 44 | 13 | 10 |
| Person-years accrued | 405,177 | 202,785 | 100,902 | 71,961 |
| SMR†‡ | 1.25 | 1.33 | 0.84 | 0.96 |
| 95% CI | 1.01 to 1.54 | 0.97 to 1.78 | 0.45 to 1.43 | 0.46 to 1.74 |
| Testis§ | ||||
| No. of suicides | 23 | 17 | 8 | 5 |
| Person-years accrued | 74,154 | 48,068 | 28,778 | 24,272 |
| SMR†‡ | 1.35 | 1.54 | 1.22 | 0.91 |
| 95% CI | 0.86 to 2.02 | 0.90 to 2.46 | 0.53 to 2.36 | 0.29 to 2.07 |
| Prostate§ | ||||
| No. of suicides | 612 | 259 | 80 | 25 |
| Person-years accrued | 1,260,950 | 511,800 | 131,582 | 42,318 |
| SMR†‡ | 1.43 | 1.55 | 1.97 | 2.09 |
| 95% CI | 1.31 to 1.54 | 1.37 to 1.75 | 1.56 to 2.45 | 1.35 to 3.08 |
| Ovary§ | ||||
| No. of suicides | 34 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Person-years accrued | 134,690 | 54,942 | 27,156 | 22,173 |
| SMR†‡ | 3.45 | 1.74 | 0.5 | 1.23 |
| 95% CI | 2.39 to 4.81 | 0.70 to 3.53 | 0.02 to 2.50 | 0.14 to 4.17 |
| Breast§ | ||||
| No. of suicides | 178 | 67 | 32 | 17 |
| Person-years accrued | 1,521,683 | 744,074 | 343,563 | 228,346 |
| SMR†‡ | 1.57 | 1.19 | 1.20 | 0.92 |
| 95% CI | 1.34 to 1.81 | 0.92 to 1.51 | 0.82 to 1.69 | 0.54 to 1.47 |
| Cervix§ | ||||
| No. of suicides | 69 | 60 | 29 | 40 |
| Person-years accrued | 662,264 | 510,507 | 308,014 | 297,018 |
| SMR†‡ | 1.56 | 1.76 | 1.41 | 2.00 |
| 95% CI | 1.21 to 1.97 | 1.35 to 2.27 | 0.94 to 2.01 | 1.43 to 2.71 |
| Uterus§ | ||||
| No. of suicides | 28 | 19 | 8 | 8 |
| Person-years accrued | 313,013 | 194,311 | 122,842 | 126,120 |
| SMR†‡ | 1.20 | 1.29 | 0.84 | 0.79 |
| 95% CI | 0.80 to 1.74 | 0.78 to 2.00 | 0.36 to 1.63 | 0.34 to 1.53 |
Abbreviations: SMR, standardized mortality ratio; NA, not applicable.
*
Analysis was limited to tumor sites for which at least 100,000 person years were accrued.
†
Adjusted to the age and sex distributions of patients with single primary tumor.
‡
Reference population: general US population, 1969 to 2002.
§
Sex-specific analysis, adjusted to the age distribution of patients with single primary tumor.