Ability to cope may play role in cancer progression.

2003 JAN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A review of the mind-body connection in breast cancer patients reveals that the stress of the diagnosis may make the disease worse but also suggests that good coping style may aid treatment and outcome.

"Interventions focused on improving women's ability to cope with breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery may have beneficial effects on emotional adjustment and potentially on physiological processes," say Linda J. Luecken, PhD, of Arizona State University and Bruce E. Compas, PhD, currently of Vanderbilt University and formerly with the University of Vermont.

The authors drew from several studies and lines of evidence to show that stress, mental state and coping style all work together to affect biological factors such as immune function and hormone levels, both of which play roles in cancer progression. Their article appears in the December 2002 issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

While stress, distress, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder have all been linked to reduced immune function and altered hormone balance, healthy coping has been shown to both improve these factors and could potentially affect cancer outcomes, they said.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression affect 30-40% of women at first diagnosis of breast cancer. PTSD is estimated to affect 3-10% of these women. Virtually all breast cancer patients experience some level of stress and distress, often due to intrusive thoughts that can follow them for months to years after their diagnosis.

The researchers defined ...