Some problems and some solutions in research on psychotherapeutic intervention in cancer.
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Several requirements of psychotherapeutic intervention (PI) research are presented and the inconsistency between Spiegel's control survival curve and that produced from local population normative data is discussed.Abstract:
Several requirements of psychotherapeutic intervention (PI) research are presented. Some major problems are discussed. First, confidence in experimental results may be diminished by interference of possible confounders. A large number of these exist, both physical, perhaps more easily measurable, and psychological or psychosocial. Second, the value and limitations of randomization are presented, with special reference to small N. Validity and reliability are addressed, with emphasis on things that may dilute the strength of both of these measures. Natural remedies are proposed. Internal consistency and reliability are compared and cautions are given regarding their use and possible invalid substitution of consistency for reliability. Comparison of different PIs is commented on, with some relevant examples. Finally, a matter of special interest is discussed: the inconsistency between Spiegel's control survival curve and that produced from local population normative data.read more
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Coping, distress, and survival among patients with lung cancer.
TL;DR: Both coping and emotional distress had a statistically independent effect on survival among patients with lung cancer, however, the naturalistic design of the study does not allow for any causal interpretation.
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Mind and cancer: does psychosocial intervention improve survival and psychological well-being?
TL;DR: Large-scale studies with sound methods are needed in which eligible patients are screened for distress and the question of whether psychosocial intervention among cancer patients has a beneficial effect remains unresolved.
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Psychotherapy and survival in cancer: the conflict between hope and evidence.
TL;DR: A systematic critical review of the relevant literature concludes that an adequately powered study examining effects of psychotherapy on survival after a diagnosis of cancer would require resources that are not justified by the strength of the available evidence.
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Mind and cancer: do psychological factors cause cancer?
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the evidence for an association between major life events, depression and personality factors and the risk for cancer, and found that the evidence failed to support the hypothesis that these factors are a risk factor for cancer.
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Fatigue in Patients with Cancer: Analysis and Assessment
TL;DR: A series of studies are presented whose aims were definition of cancer-specific fatigue and the development of an instrument which had the capacity to discriminate levels of fatigue in different groups of cancer patients.
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Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents
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Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer
David Spiegel,David Spiegel,HelenaC. Kraemer,HelenaC. Kraemer,JoanR. Bloom,JoanR. Bloom,Ellen Gottheil,Ellen Gottheil +7 more
TL;DR: The effect of psychosocial intervention on time of survival of 86 patients with metastatic breast cancer was studied prospectively and survival plots indicated that divergence in survival began at 20 months after entry, or 8 months after intervention ended.
Journal ArticleDOI
Malignant Melanoma: Effects of an Early Structured Psychiatric Intervention, Coping, and Affective State on Recurrence and Survival 6 Years Later
Fawzy I. Fawzy,Nancy W. Fawzy,Christine S. Hyun,Robert Elashoff,Donald Guthrie,John L. Fahey,Donald L. Morton +6 more
TL;DR: Psychiatric interventions that enhance effective coping and reduce affective distress appear to have beneficial effects on survival but are not proposed as an alternative or independent treatment for cancer or any other illness or disease.
Journal ArticleDOI
Group support for patients with metastatic cancer. A randomized outcome study.
TL;DR: Objective evidence is provided that a supportive group intervention for patients with metastatic cancer results in psychological benefit and mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of this group intervention are explored.