Associations Among Irritability, High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein/Interleukin-6, and Depression in Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Prospective Study

The findings suggest that irritability is an independent risk factor of depression and associated with increasing high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Irritability needs to be effectively managed in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy to prevent them from developing depressive symptoms. These preliminary findings should be investigated in future large-sample studies.