In breast cancer, Bardwell said it is estimated that as many as 55% of patients deal with depressive disorders, with 17% to 30% of patients experiencing depression well into survivorship.Factors associated with depressive symptoms in patients with early-stage breast cancer.[Bardwell et al.But we need to be aware of the individual and the family support system thatâs affected by the cancer as well.â. Bardwell spoke at NCONN 2011 about psychosocial considerations in cancer patients, noting that gathering concrete data in this population can be quite difficult.