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Patients with cancer at 20% increased risk of suicide, show figures for England

BMJ 2018; 361 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k2703 (Published 21 June 2018) Cite this as: BMJ 2018;361:k2703
  1. Susan Mayor
  1. London

Patients with cancer have a 20% higher risk of suicide than the general population, an analysis of national figures for England has reported.1 The risk of suicide was highest in the first six months after diagnosis.

“Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be devastating, which is why it’s so important for every patient and their carers to get the support they need,” said Jem Rashbass, cancer lead at Public Health England. “This study shows how critical the first six months are to improving quality of life and …

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