Expert consensus statement on diagnosis and treatment of cancer-related depressed mood state based on Chinese medicine

This consensus statement is organized into six parts: 1) Definitions: cancer-related depressed mood state is defined as a group of depressive symptoms, rather than major depressive disorder. Thus, “cancer-related depression” or “depressed mood state” is introduced as standard terminology and associated with the Chinese medicine concept of “yu zheng” (depression syndrome). 2) Pathogenesis: factors including psychological stress, cancer pain, cancer fatigue, sleep disorders, surgery trauma, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are strongly associated with cancer-related depressed mood state. Crucial elements of pathogenesis are cancer caused by depression, depression caused by cancer, and the concurrence of phlegm, dampness, and stasis from constrained liver-qi and spleen deficiency. 3) Symptoms: these include core symptoms, psychological symptoms, and somatic symptoms. Depressed mood and loss of interest are the main criteria for diagnosis. 4) Clinical evaluation: based on the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and a numeric rating scale, and taking mood changes during cancer diagnosis and treatment into consideration, a questionnaire can be drafted to distinguish between major depressive disorder and cancer-related depression. The aim is to assist oncology clinicians to identify, treat, and refer patients with cancer-related depression. 5) Diagnosis: diagnosis should be based on the Chinese Classification for Mental Disorders (CCMD-3), taking patients’ mood changes during diagnosis and treatment into consideration. 6) Treatment: treatments for cancer-related depression must be performed concurrently with cancer treatment. For mild depression, non-pharmacologic comprehensive therapies, including psychological intervention, music therapy, patient education, physical activity, and acupuncture, are recommended; for moderate depression, classical Chinese herbal formulas based on syndrome pattern differentiation combined with antidepressants are suggested; for severe depressive symptoms that have progressed to major depressive disorder, patients should be referred to a psychiatric clinician for specialized care.