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Helping breast cancer patients cope with stress may improve cancer outcomes

June 15, 2010

By Patricia Nicholson

A psychological intervention that helps breast cancer patients reduce cancer-related stress may not only help reduce the likelihood of recurrence, but may also improve the odds of survival in patients whose cancer does recur.

The latest followup results in a long-term trial studying the effects of a stress-reduction intervention for breast cancer patients suggest that this treatement may continue to have benefits for patients even years later.

The original trial began in 1994, with 227 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Half of the patients received the psychological intervention, which was designed to reduce emotional distress, improve health behaviours and treatment adherence, and increase social support following diagnosis.

The trial was based on earlier research that suggested psychological factors related to stress can damage quality of life, negatively affect immunity and decrease survival odds in breast cancer patients. Based on that, the researchers speculated that reducing stress might help improve patients’ cancer outcomes as well as their quality of life.

The original trial results showed that the patients who had the stress-reduction intervention did benefit from the treatment in terms of immunity and health benefits, as well as psychological well-being and social support at four months after their diagnosis, and after one year. Long-term followup showed that after 11 years, the stress-reduction patients had 55 per cent lower odds of recurrence compared to patients who didn’t have the intervention.

The latest followup analysis compares survival rates among the breast cancer patients who did have recurrences. Of the original 227 patients, 62 experienced recurrence.

Among those with recurrent cancer, patients who had the psychological intervention had significantly better survival odds than those who did not.

Although all of the cancer recurrence patients experienced major psychological distress when their cancer returned, those who had undergone the stress-reduction treatment at the time of their original diagnosis showed psychological improvement after their recurrence. Those who did not have the intervention did not improve.

Based on analysis of immune system markers in their blood, the stress-reduction patients had healthier immune systems 12 months after recurrence than those who didn’t have the intervention.

These results suggest that the patients who learned to manage cancer-related stress and maintain healthy behaviours at the time of their breast cancer diagnosis may have continued to benefit from the treatment even years later. The study appears in the June 15, 2010 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

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