Genetic susceptibility between psychiatric disorders and gynecologic cancers: A systematic review.

Abstract

e22506 Background: Depression rates in women with cancer are notably increased, impacting quality of life and disease progression. This raises an important question on the genetic relationship between psychiatric disorders and gynecologic cancers as they encompass complex physiological mechanisms. The purpose of this review is to investigate the genetic influence on psychiatric disorders and gynecological cancer prevalence. Methods: A comprehensive systematic review was conducted utilizing research articles from PubMed and Scopus. The database search was coordinated through Boolean operations and key words. Rayyan software was used by three authors to screen studies that meet prespecified inclusion/exclusion criteria. A qualitative report of the included literature was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines (PRISMA 2020). Results: In total, 13 articles meet the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review within the years 2009 - 2025. Specific studies showed both ovarian and endometrial cancer had no causal relationship with depression bidirectionally. However, anxiety, mood disorders and depression were revealed to be genetically correlated with cervical cancer and only depression was found to have a significant causality. Other studies identified shared molecular genes, such as PTTG1, suggesting potential therapeutic targets. Conclusions: The findings in this study were mixed based on the type of gynecologic cancer and psychiatric disorder. This could be due to varying study designs or unaccounted external factors. This analysis provides a summary of the multiple genetic pathways that have been identified as potential links between two pathologies guiding future research. As gynecological cancers continue to be a leading cause of mortality amongst women, there's a strong need for identifying risk factors for the prevention of disease.