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Emotional well-being doesn't affect cancer outcome
Posted 23-10-2007 at 07:39 AM by Angel
The results of a new study provide no evidence to support the notion that patients with cancer can influence the course or outcome of their cancer by making changes to improve their emotional well-being or, in particular, that psychotherapy can help them live longer.
Of 1,093 head and neck cancer patients who provided information on their emotional health during their cancer treatment, Dr. James C. Coyne of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and colleagues found that emotional well-being was not a predictor of survival.
Altogether, 646 patients died during the 1992-2000 study and emotional status was not related to survival, even after adjusting for several other factors like gender, characteristics or stage of the tumor, the team reports in the journal Cancer.
Emotional status "neither directly affected progression or death nor functioned as a lurking variable," Coyne and colleagues report.
Based on this study and the published literature, credible evidence that cancer patients' participation in psychotherapy or support groups prolongs their lives is lacking, they note.
In a recent issue of Psychological Bulletin, Dr. Coyne wrote: "The hope that we can fight cancer by influencing emotional states appears to have been misplaced."
"If cancer patients want psychotherapy or to be in a support group," he went on to say, "they should be given the opportunity to do so. There can be lots of emotional and social benefits. But they should not seek such experiences solely on the expectation that they are extending their lives."
SOURCE: Cancer, online October 22, 2007
Of 1,093 head and neck cancer patients who provided information on their emotional health during their cancer treatment, Dr. James C. Coyne of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and colleagues found that emotional well-being was not a predictor of survival.
Altogether, 646 patients died during the 1992-2000 study and emotional status was not related to survival, even after adjusting for several other factors like gender, characteristics or stage of the tumor, the team reports in the journal Cancer.
Emotional status "neither directly affected progression or death nor functioned as a lurking variable," Coyne and colleagues report.
Based on this study and the published literature, credible evidence that cancer patients' participation in psychotherapy or support groups prolongs their lives is lacking, they note.
In a recent issue of Psychological Bulletin, Dr. Coyne wrote: "The hope that we can fight cancer by influencing emotional states appears to have been misplaced."
"If cancer patients want psychotherapy or to be in a support group," he went on to say, "they should be given the opportunity to do so. There can be lots of emotional and social benefits. But they should not seek such experiences solely on the expectation that they are extending their lives."
SOURCE: Cancer, online October 22, 2007
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 |  Emotional Well-being Has No Influence On Cancer Survival, Study SuggestsResearchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that emotional well-being is not an independent factor affecting the prognosis of patients with head and neck cancers. "The belief that a patient's psychological state can impact the course and outcome of their cancer is one that has been prominent among patients and medical professionals, alike," says James C. Coyne, PhD, Co-Leader, Cancer Control and Outcomes Program, Abramson Cancer Center; Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Penn; and lead author of the study. "This belief leads people to seek psychotherapy in the hopes of promoting survival. While there can be lots of emotional and social benefits of psychotherapy, patients should not seek such experiences solely on the expectation that they are extending their lives." Study participants were enrolled in two Radiation Oncology Group clinical trials and completed a baseline measure of quality of life questionnaire which included an Emotional Well-Being subscale. The outcome measure was overall survival. The study sample included 1,093 patients, and of this group, 646 died during the length of the study. With the coupling of this large sample and the uniformity of treatment and quality of care that is required in a clinical trial, this is one of the methodologically strongest studies in this area to-date. The researchers found that emotional status was not a predictor of survival among this population. Additionally, no effects were observed when the researchers examined interactions between emotional well-being and study protocol, gender, primary cancer site, or stage of cancer. Therefore, the study reports that "this psychologic variable neither affected progression or death directly, nor functioned as a lurking variable." "While this study may not end the debate, it does provide the strongest evidence to-date that psychological factors are not independently prognostic in cancer management," says Dr. Coyne. Reference: Article: "Emotional Well-Being Does Not Predict Survival in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Study," James C. Coyne, Thomas F. Pajak, Jonathan Harris, Andre Konski, Benjamin Movsas, Kian Ang, Deborah Watkins Bruner, Cancer; Published Online: October 22, 2007 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.23080); Print Issue Date: December 1, 2007. Additional study authors are Thomas F. Pajak, PhD, American College of Radiology; Jonathan Harris, MS, American College of Radiology; Andre Konski, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Benjamin Movsas, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Kian Ang, MD, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; and Deborah Watkins Bruner, PhD, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania. - Source |
Posted 23-10-2007 at 07:50 AM by Angel  |
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