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) - There's no evidence that some people, because of their personality, are more prone to develope cancer than others. That's the conclusion if new research published in the March 1 issue of the American Cancer Society's journal Cancer.The idea that a person's personality can not only increase their risk of developing cancer but also affect thier ability to recover from illness is an important foundation of mind-body theories of human health and wellness. In a book published in 2000, "What Color Is Your Personality," Dr. Carol Reitberger, PhD., writes: "Psychoneuroimmunology, the study of how emotions affect the immune system, indicates that people who are consumed with negative thoughts or who have a negative outlook on life are more susceptible to the formation of cancer. The same holds true for people who are consumed with negative emotions such as fear, anger, or frustration. Negativity wears down the immune system and leaves the body more susceptible to the creation of disease."Danish researchers wanted to see if such statements were true - might some cancer patients be responsible for their cancer because of the way they think. They reviewed the cancer history, health, behavior, and personality trait data collected from nearly 30,000 twins enrolled in the Swedish Twins Study. The patients, all born between 1926 and 1958, were followed for an average of 25 years. A total of 1898 cases of cancer were reported."We find no indication of an association between certain personality traits and risks for cancer, nor did we find support for an indirect association where certain personality traits influence health behaviors and and thus indirectly incluence cancer risk," the authors write.The authors acknowledge that numerous previous studies have shown a link between personality and cancer risk but say those findings are suspect because many of the studies were either too small or prone to bias by the investigators. Not resolved by this study is whether psychological interventions help increase survival after a diagnosis of cancer. The Mind-Body Medical Institute sells cancer patients a program arguing: "a diagnosis of cancer causes significant distress. Research suggests that this distress may have an adverse effect on patients' health, quality of life, and possible disease progression." There's plenty of evidence now that some cancer patients benefit from participation in support groups or when they get help dealing with depression and the stress that accompanies a cancer diagnosis. But does managing mood improve their prognosis? Can phychosocial intervention have an affect on "disease perogression," and therefore how long they live? Canadian researchers looked at existing data from clinical trials and concluded that while such interventions may have an affect on a cancer patient's quality of life "psychosocial intervention does not prolong survival in cancer." Their findings were published in the January 18 issue of Palliative Medicine. SOURCE:Cancer 2005; Volume 103, Number 5.Chow E, Tsao MN, Harth T. Palliat Med. 2004 Jan;18(1):25-31.Mind Body Medical Institute web siteExcerpt of What Color Is Your Personality" on innerself.com
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