Alexithymia in Cancer Patients: Review of the Literature Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics 2012; 81: 79-86 ...studies are needed which investigate the nature (state or trait) of alexithymia, its impact on cancer development and progression, as well as its influence on compliance and on the underestimation of psychological distress and psychiatric outcome in cancer patients. Link to abstract.
Attitudinal barriers to psychosocial services
CPOPOnline * Posted May 25, 2011 Results of the Attitudes toward cancer and psycho-oncology services study were presented at the 2011 ASCO annual meeting. Significant levels of stigma and distress were found, with levels in line with findings from previous research. "Future endeavours," write the study authors, "should focus on education of patients and physicians alike, in order to ensure that all patients requiring psycho-oncology services receive them." Click to go to the abstract.
CPOPOnline * Posted April 28, 2011 Researchers at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia have found that, in head and neck cancer patients, higher levels of perceived stress and symptoms of depression are linked to greater vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein that stimulates tumour growth. Higher VEGF expression was in turn related to shorter disease-free survival. Findings were presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine on April 28. Click for more.
When cancer spurs personal growth
CPOP Talk, Fall 2010 - A researcher at the University of Texas has tracked the personal growth of cancer survivors as well as people without cancer over a 10-year period. Using MIDUS data (National Survey of Midlife Development in the US) collected in 1994-95 and in 2004-6, Tetyana Pudrovska has found that personal growth declines, for everyone, with age. However, the decline is slower for cancer survivors compared to individuals who do not have cancer, but only for survivors born in the 1940s, 50s or 60s. Those who were born in the 1930s experienced the same decline as people without cancer. Those born in the 1920s declined faster than people without cancer. The author suggests that people born in the 1920s are more likely to believe that they are powerless against cancer, that cancer is contagious and incurable, and that treatment is worse than the disease; these were the sentiments that prevailed in magazine stories and educational films of that era. Public discourse, says the author, has changed since then, with a greater focus on fighting the disease: "Cancer has become a challenge, a battle, and people grow stronger in the process." Abstract: hsb.sagepub.com/content/51/3/60.
Family members perceive the world a little differently than patients
CPOP Talk, Summer 2010 - To better
understand how families and terminally ill cancer patients in Japan view the patient’s quality of life (QOL),
researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental
University asked 102
caregiver-patient pairs to fill out a QOL questionnaire that measured
psychosocial and spiritual factors. Families underrated patients’ social
quality of life, and patients rated family support higher than family members.
Overall, the researchers conclude that family members have a limited ability to
assess psychosocial aspects of the patient’s quality of life. More research
will be necessary to understand the difference. Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20623804
