Study of cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, and cancer mortality among individuals with concurrent mental illness/substance misuse.
Individuals with mental health disorders/substance use disorders have a significantly reduced life expectancy, primarily related to somatic illness. This project examines variations in cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, and mortality among cancer patients with and without a previously diagnosed mental health disorder/substance use disorder.
About the Project
Individuals with mental health disorders and/or substance use disorders have a significantly reduced life expectancy, primarily related to somatic illness. This project examines variations in cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, and mortality among cancer patients with and without previously diagnosed mental health or substance use disorders. The introduction of standardised care pathways for cancer provides a unique opportunity to investigate whether coordination and standardisation of assessment and treatment pathways contribute to reducing unjustified variation in health, including the degree of advanced disease at the time of diagnosis and mortality. The project also investigates access to, and time to, diagnosis and stage-appropriate treatment for specific cancer diagnoses. The project, which includes a number of experienced researchers, links large datasets from specialist and primary healthcare services, the Cancer Registry, the Medicines Registry, NAV, Statistics Norway, and the Cause of Death Registry.
Purpose
To investigate any differences in mortality and the extent of/time to diagnosis and treatment among first-time cancer patients with and without previously diagnosed mental health or substance use disorders, as well as to examine whether the introduction of standardised care pathways for cancer has changed the prognosis for cancer patients with previously diagnosed mental health/substance use disorders.
Research Questions
- Do cancer patients with and without previously diagnosed mental health or substance use disorders have an equal likelihood of being included in standardised care pathways for cancer? What characterises patients who are not included?
- Is there unexplained variation between cancer patients with and without previously diagnosed mental health/substance use disorders regarding the degree of advanced disease, the extent of, and time to, adequate cancer diagnosis and treatment? Have there been changes in any differences in the period following the introduction of standardised care pathways for cancer?
- Has the difference in lethality following cancer disease changed over time for patients with and without previous mental health/substance use disorders? Has the survival rate among cancer patients with mental health and/or substance use disorders changed since the introduction of standardised care pathways for cancer?
Collaborating Institutions:
- UiT - The Arctic University of Norway
- University Hospital of North Norway
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health
- Oslo University Hospital