Emotions And Cancer

The role of depression in the genesis of cancer has been the subject in a couple of studies. Doctors observed that stress of various types can have an effect on the body’s immune functioning which would eventually manifest to the possible development of cancers.

One major evidence for the association of depression with cancer death was provided by a study at the Western Electric Company in Chicago where over two thousand men employed by the company were given the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Depression Test. For decades these men were monitored ; there was a two-fold increase in the risk for death from cancer associated with higher scores on the depression scale. Depression was an independent predictor of cancer death even after the influences of cigarette smoking, family history of cancer, alcohol, age and occupational status were accounted for.

Another study demonstrated that patients treated with chemotherapy and psychotherapy had longer survival times than those treated with chemotherapy alone. In 1989, a study was published which showed that mental attitude can have significant impact on disease. Women with breast cancer were randomly assigned to either treatment group or a control group. Both group were treated the same in terms of chemotherapy and radiation, the only difference was that the treatment group also met for 90 minutes weekly for one year to address social support issues. The treatment group was approximately 37 months compared with only 19 months in the control group.

These findings reinforce some important ideas which anyone with cancer or with a family patient with cancer should bear in mind. It is important to bring about improvement in outlook and mental attitude. In virtually all cancer types, someone, somewhere, sometime, has recovered.