Deng YM, Ma Q, Peng WL, Tao HZ. Correlation of postoperative anxiety and depression with fear of cancer recurrence and sleep disorders in oral cancer patients. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(10): 118059 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.118059]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hong-Zhu Tao, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, No. 181 Hanyu Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400030, China. taohongzhu@163.com
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Psychology
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research-article
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Deng YM, Ma Q, Peng WL, Tao HZ. Correlation of postoperative anxiety and depression with fear of cancer recurrence and sleep disorders in oral cancer patients. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(10): 118059 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.118059]
World J Psychiatry. Oct 19, 2026; 16(10): 118059 Published online Oct 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118059
Correlation of postoperative anxiety and depression with fear of cancer recurrence and sleep disorders in oral cancer patients
You-Min Deng, Qian Ma, Wen-Li Peng, Hong-Zhu Tao
You-Min Deng, Qian Ma, Department of Breast Cancer Center, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, China
Wen-Li Peng, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, China
Hong-Zhu Tao, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, China
Co-first authors: You-Min Deng and Qian Ma.
Co-corresponding authors: Wen-Li Peng and Hong-Zhu Tao.
Author contributions: Tao HZ and Deng YM contributed to the conception and design; Tao HZ, Deng YM, Ma Q and Peng WL contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data; Tao HZ and Deng YM contributed to the writing, review, and/or revision of the manuscript; all authors contributed to the acquisition of data and final approved the manuscript. Deng YM and Ma Q contributed equally to this work as co-first authors. Tao HZ and Peng WL supervised the entire research process, and revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, have played important and indispensable roles in the manuscript preparation as the co-corresponding authors.
AI contribution statement: The authors declare that no AI tools were used in the development or writing of this manuscript and take full responsibility for its integrity, accuracy, and originality.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Chongqing University Cancer Hospital.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Hong-Zhu Tao, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, No. 181 Hanyu Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400030, China. taohongzhu@163.com
Received: March 27, 2026 Revised: May 14, 2026 Accepted: June 17, 2026 Published online: October 19, 2026 Processing time: 196 Days and 23.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Patients with oral cancer face a higher risk of postoperative anxiety and depression, often accompanied by varying degrees of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and sleep disorders, which may hinder postoperative recovery.
AIM
To analyze the correlation of postoperative anxiety and depression with FCR and sleep disorders in patients with oral cancer.
METHODS
A total of 147 patients with oral cancer admitted to Chongqing University Cancer Hospital between December 2021 and December 2024 were recruited as research subjects. Clinical data, including postoperative Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, were collected. Patients scoring ≥ 8 on either the HADS-Anxiety subscale (HADS-A) (anxiety subscale) or HADS-Depression subscale (HADS-D) (depression subscale) were classified into the anxiety or depression group; the remainder were assigned to the control group. FoP-Q-SF and PSQI scores were compared between groups. Pearson/Spearman correlation analysis was used evaluate the associations between postoperative HADS-A/HADS-D scores and FoP-Q-SF and PSQI scores. Univariate and binary logistic regression analyses were used for the identification of factors influencing postoperative anxiety and depression in patients with oral cancer.
RESULTS
Among the 147 patients, the rates of anxiety, depression, anxiety or depression, and combined anxiety and depression were 34.01%, 46.26%, 60.54%, and 39.46%, respectively. The total FoP-Q-SF and PSQI scores were 40.61 ± 6.43 and 9.00 (8.00, 10.00), respectively. The anxiety or depression group (n = 89) showed significantly higher FoP-Q-SF and PSQI scores. Anxiety and depression correlated positively with both FCR and poor sleep quality. Educational level, recurrence, and FoP-Q-SF score were identified as independent predictors of anxiety or depression in patients with oral cancer.
CONCLUSION
These findings suggested that postoperative anxiety and depression in patients with oral cancer were closely associated with higher FCR and poorer sleep quality; educational level, disease recurrence, and fear intensity were considered important independent predictors.
Core Tip: This study analyzed the correlation of postoperative anxiety and depression with fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and sleep disorders in patients with oral cancer. Anxiety or depression was common after surgery and was accompanied by moderate-to-high levels of FCR and sleep disorders. There was a significant positive correlation of anxiety and depression levels with FCR and sleep disorders. Lower educational level, disease recurrence, and higher FCR increased the risk of postoperative anxiety or depression in patients with oral cancer.
