(1) Background: Evidence suggested inconsistent results in anxiety and depression scores among female and male cancer patients. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess how anxiety and depression conditions among cancer patients vary according to sex. (2) Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA). The protocol was registered in PROSPERO with id no. CRD42024512553. The search strategy involved combining keywords using Boolean operators, including “Anxiety”, “Cancer”, and “Depression”, across several databases: Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The outcomes were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). (3) Results: Data were collected from five studies, enrolling a total of 6317 cancer patients, of whom 2961 were females and 3356 males. For each study, HADS-A and HADS-D scores were considered, also differentiating HADS scores according to cancer typology, and then three different meta-analyses were performed. Generally, females reported significantly higher levels of depression scores than males and, conversely, males reported significantly greater levels of anxiety than females. (4) Conclusions: Previous studies suggested higher rates of depression and anxiety conditions in females than in males, but the present data highlighted controversial findings, since males reported significantly higher levels of anxiety than females. In this scenario, the theoretical approach justified females being more open than males to expressing anxiety or depression conditions. It would be necessary for healthcare professionals to improve effective measures purposed at assessing and mitigating depressive symptoms in cases of advanced cancer, thereby improving their mental health, given the high rates of depression in advanced cancer patients, due to the difficulty level of performing their daily living activities, which deteriorate further over time.
(1) 背景：现有证据显示，男性和女性癌症患者的焦虑与抑郁评分存在不一致的结果。本系统综述与荟萃分析旨在评估癌症患者的焦虑和抑郁状况如何随性别变化。(2) 方法：本研究遵循系统综述与荟萃分析优先报告条目（PRISMA）指南进行。研究方案已在PROSPERO平台注册，注册号为CRD42012553。检索策略采用布尔运算符组合关键词，包括“焦虑”“癌症”和“抑郁”，检索数据库包括Embase、PubMed、Scopus和Web of Science。使用医院焦虑抑郁量表（HADS）评估结果。(3) 结果：共纳入5项研究，涉及6317名癌症患者，其中女性2961名，男性3356名。每项研究均采用HADS-A和HADS-D评分，并根据癌症类型区分HADS评分，随后进行了三项独立的荟萃分析。总体而言，女性抑郁评分显著高于男性，而男性焦虑评分显著高于女性。(4) 结论：既往研究提示女性抑郁和焦虑发生率高于男性，但本研究数据揭示了争议性发现，即男性焦虑水平显著高于女性。从理论角度解释，女性可能比男性更倾向于表达焦虑或抑郁情绪。鉴于晚期癌症患者因日常活动能力受限且随时间推移持续恶化，导致抑郁发生率较高，医疗专业人员有必要制定有效措施，以评估和缓解晚期癌症患者的抑郁症状，从而改善其心理健康状况。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家