Longitudinal Risk for Suicidal Self-Directed Violence Among Veterans With Cancer - PubMed

2 hours ago

Patients with cancer have higher rates of suicidal self-directed violence (SSDV) than the general population.
A study of 292,271 veterans with cancer found 2,400 SSDV events (1%), with an overall rate of 203 per 100,000 person-years.
Poisoning (e.g., opioids) was the most common method, accounting for 26% of attempts.
Highest SSDV risks were associated with cancers of the central nervous system (CNS), pancreas, head and neck, liver/biliary system, and thyroid.
High SSDV rates were also linked to severe frailty, advanced cancer, chronic mental illness, and high pain scores.
Demographic factors like younger age (≤45 years), female sex, and American Indian/Alaska Native race showed elevated rates of nonfatal attempts.
Increased hazards for SSDV were found for Asian veterans, unmarried veterans, those with CNS or head and neck cancer, and advanced cancer.
Risk decreased over time post-diagnosis but remained elevated for younger veterans, unmarried veterans, those with CNS cancer, and advanced cancer up to 5 years later.
The study highlights the need for systematic tracking of all suicidal behaviors and tailored screening/prevention strategies in cancer care.

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