Bhave S, Darji Y, Prajapati A. Neuropsychiatric manifestations of prostate cancer and its treatment: Biological mechanisms and psycho-oncology perspectives. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(11): 125256 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.125256]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Akhilesh Prajapati, PhD, Associate Professor, Research Dean, Division of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, GSFC University, Vigyan Bhawan, Fertilizer Nagar, Vadodara 391750, Gujarāt, India. akhileshbiotech06@gmail.com
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Psychiatry
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review-article
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Bhave S, Darji Y, Prajapati A. Neuropsychiatric manifestations of prostate cancer and its treatment: Biological mechanisms and psycho-oncology perspectives. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(11): 125256 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.125256]
World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2026; 16(11): 125256 Published online Nov 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.125256
Neuropsychiatric manifestations of prostate cancer and its treatment: Biological mechanisms and psycho-oncology perspectives
Shivani Bhave, Yash Darji, Akhilesh Prajapati
Shivani Bhave, Yash Darji, Akhilesh Prajapati, Division of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, GSFC University, Vadodara 391750, Gujarāt, India
Author contributions: Prajapati A conceptualized the idea for the review, prepared the study summaries, supervised the overall work and critically revised the manuscript; Bhave S, Darji Y and Prajapati A jointly contributed to the design, discussion and writing of the review manuscript.
AI contribution statement: No AI tools were used during the manuscript preparation process.
Supported by GSBTM, DST Government of Gujarat, No. GSBTM/RSS/E-FILE/30/2024/0021/04306791.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Corresponding author: Akhilesh Prajapati, PhD, Associate Professor, Research Dean, Division of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, GSFC University, Vigyan Bhawan, Fertilizer Nagar, Vadodara 391750, Gujarāt, India. akhileshbiotech06@gmail.com
Received: July 2, 2026 Revised: August 13, 2026 Accepted: October 8, 2026 Published online: November 19, 2026 Processing time: 119 Days and 18.1 Hours
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in men and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Beyond its oncological burden, PCa is increasingly recognized as a condition with profound psychiatric and neurocognitive implications. Depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and cognitive decline are highly prevalent among patients, particularly those undergoing androgen deprivation therapy or chemotherapy. The most consistent clinical evidence suggests associations between androgen deprivation therapy and mood-related morbidity, whereas findings for cognition and proposed mechanisms such as inflammation, oxidative stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation and altered neural signaling remain heterogeneous and are not uniformly supported by PCa-specific prospective studies. Addressing these dimensions requires a holistic, multidisciplinary model of care in which mental health screening and psychiatric support are integrated into oncology practice. PCa thus serves as a paradigm for understanding the bidirectional relationship between chronic disease, treatment-induced biological stress and psychiatric health. This narrative review links evidence on treatment-related neuropsychiatric outcomes, proposed biological mechanisms, neuroimaging findings, societal aspects of neuropsychiatric morbidity in PCa, while also highlighting important areas for integrated care and future research. Sources such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Google Scholar and reference-list screening were used to identify English-language peer-reviewed literature published from January 2000 to November 2025.
Core Tip: Prostate cancer and its treatment can produce substantial neuropsychiatric consequences that extend beyond conventional physical and oncological outcomes. The available evidence supports routine recognition of psychological distress and targeted evaluation of mood and cognitive symptoms in higher-risk patients. Mechanistic biomarkers, neuroimaging approaches and precision psycho-oncology strategies remain important areas for further prospective validation. This narrative review distinguishes direct prostate cancer evidence from indirect mechanistic context and emphasizes practical psycho-oncology assessment alongside research priorities in neuroimaging, biomarkers and longitudinal care. We further highlight neuroimaging approaches, global disparities in psycho-oncological care and emerging brain–tumor communication pathways.
