Patient-reported depression measures in cancer: a meta-review

Abstract

It is unclear which patient-reported depression measures perform best in oncology settings. We conducted a meta-review to integrate the findings of reviews of more than 50 depression measures used in oncology. We searched Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE and grey literature from 1999-2014 to identify 19 reviews representing 372 primary studies. Eleven reviews were rated as being of high quality. The Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) was most thoroughly evaluated, but was limited by cut-point variability. The HADS had moderate screening utility indices and was least recommended in advanced cancer/palliative care. The Beck Depression Inventory was more generalizable across cancer types/disease stages, with good indices for screening and case finding. The Centre of Epidemiology-Depression Scale was the best-weighted measure in terms of responsiveness. This meta-review provides a comprehensive overview of the strengths and limitations of available depression measures. It can inform the choice of the best measure for specific settings and purposes.