Anxiety and depression after surgery linked to faster tumor return
Original title: Association of postoperative anxiety and depressive symptom severity with progression-free survival in IDH-wild-type glioblastoma.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This study watched people over time at one hospital. It did not test any treatment.
The short version
In one study, people with more anxiety or depression after surgery saw their tumor grow back sooner.
What was studied. Doctors at one hospital followed 64 adults with a new IDH-wild-type glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. Each person filled out two short surveys about anxiety and depression. They did this between 30 and 38 days after surgery, before starting more treatment.
What they found. People who scored high for anxiety had a shorter time before the tumor grew again. The link was even stronger for people who scored high for depression. Researchers also looked at stored tumor samples from 105 other patients. Tumors that came back showed different levels of some stress and mood chemical sensors.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Your mood after brain surgery may be tied to how the tumor behaves. That makes it worth telling your care team if you feel anxious or low. Help for anxiety and depression is part of good brain tumor care, not a side issue.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean anxiety or depression made the tumor grow. The study only watched what happened to people. That kind of study cannot show cause. It also does not mean that treating your mood will slow a tumor. No one has tested that yet. The tumor sample part was only a first look for new ideas. This is early research, far from any new treatment, and it is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, October 19, 2026 · Read the original
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