Relationship between psychological factors and cancer: An update of the evidence

Abstract

There is a widely held perception that cancer is influenced by psychological factors, and that both the onset and progression of the disease are affected by factors such as stress, depression, social isolation and coping style. This article reviews the evidence for the mind‐cancer link. Although hundreds of studies have reported on this issue, much of the research has been undermined by methodological weaknesses such as small sample size and failure to control for confounding factors. Many studies have failed to find any association between psychological factors and cancer, and findings of even the high quality studies have been inconsistent. To date there is insufficient evidence to conclude that psychological factors play a significant and direct role in disease processes in cancer.

A prospective examination of perceived stress as a mediator of the relationship between life‐events and QOL following breast cancer

“…The psychological component posits that higher stress levels at the time of cancer diagnosis and treatment can, overtime, contribute to lower QOL. While there is a plethora of research examining the contribution of stress to disease progression (Edelman, 2005; Garssen, 2004; Lillberg et al , 2003; Maunsell, Brisson, Mondor, Verreault, & Deschenes, 2001; Palesh et al , 2007), and several studies have provided support for the role of stress in predicting mood disturbance or depression (Golden‐Kreutz, Browne, Frierson, & Andersen, 2004; Karademas et al , 2007; Low et al , 2006; Von Ah & Kang, 2008), there is minimal research addressing whether stress makes a similar contribution to QOL (Kornblith et al , 2001; Kreitler, Peleg, & Ehrenfeld, 2007).…”

Hopelessness and Fighting Spirit Relation with Illness Perception in Female Breast Cancer Patients

“…Also, since it's cross-sectional study, the data about predictive values are statistical and do not necessarily confirm the real cause-effect relation. Finally, some of our results are retrospective in nature (e.g., that 82.4% of our patients declared stress as the most frequent cause of their illness), and retrospective studies are seen as problematic because the diagnosis of cancer may affect patients' recall of earlier events due to the search for personal meaning (18) .…”

“…However, other studies that examined relationships between depression (or depressive coping style and hopelessness) and disease outcomes in different types of cancer patients, found mixed results; some of them found evidence of a relationship, other found no relationship and some found inverse relationships between psychological adjustment and disease progression, which suggests the need for more studies in this field (18) .…”

LLCS Vol 2, Issue 2, Full Issue

“…For example, it has been reported that personality, emotional suppression, depression, and social isolation are risk factors for cancer (Edelman 2005;Grossarth-Maticek et al 1997;Penninx et al 1998;Persky KempthorneRawson and Shekelle 1987;Shekelle et al 1981;Shaffer et al 1987) although some studies have found no evidence of such relationship (Price et al 2001;Bleiker et al 1996). In addition, it has been reported that depression, social isolation, and lack of social support are risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) (Peach et al 2003).…”