Introduction:

cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide. Corticosteroids are the most widely used drugs in the treatment of cancer and can induce various psychiatric manifestations.

Objective:

to describe corticosteroid-induced neuropsychiatric disorders in cancer patients.

Methods:

a literature review was carried out through different databases: SciELO, PubMed and Elsevier; corticosteroids, neuropsychiatric disorders, cancer and steroid psychosis were the keywords used. A total of 32 bibliographic references were selected for this study.

Conclusions:

corticosteroids are widely used in the treatment of hospitalized or ambulatory cancer patients, and are not exempt from adverse effects. Corticosteroids can cause all kinds of mental disorders: from labile mood to manic episodes or depression, reversible dementia and delirium (steroid psychosis). Corticosteroid dosage is the most important risk factor for the development of psychiatric symptoms. The main tool in the treatment of steroid-induced psychiatric conditions is the gradual reduction of the dose of these drugs, and when this is not possible, or when the symptoms are very marked, the administration of psychotropic drugs. Cancer patient is a different patient in terms of psychopathology. Corticosteroids can induce some psychiatric manifestations, which must be taken into account during therapy, in order not to incur bias and to identify early disorders induced by these drugs.