PSC 126: Lecture 11 (Is There a Cancer-Prone Personality?) – Flashcards

The study of how psychological factors are associated with the onset, course/prognosis, and survival of cancer.

#2.

A disease of the cells that occurs from excessively rapid cell growth (*malignant neoplasm*).

The *separation and spreading of cancer cells to other parts of the body.* It's difficult to treat cancer that has spread, and it's rarely the original site of the cancer that ends up killing the patient.

Carcinogens in the environment; e.g., smoking and UV radiation.

Tumor suppressor genes become deactivated because of mutations, and natural killer cells - which are designed to kill cancer - become deactivated as well.

Early stage cancer - often a small tumor that may not even be detectable. A tumor could be growing for 10 years before it's even large enough to detect.

Localized cancer. The cancer is still mainly within one region of the body.

The cancer has started to spread regionally.

Late-stage cancer. The cancer has spread distantly, well beyond the original site.

They haven't changed - people are still frequently getting and dying from cancer.

*Retrospective* (compares people with cancer to people without cancer on a risk factor, such as stress) --> *semi-prospective* (data collected before cancer diagnosis but after cancer onset, to rule out knowledge of cancer as a confounding variable) --> *true prospective* (studies a risk factor before cancer diagnosis and then years later, after some people have inevitably developed cancer) --> *intervention* (manipulating risk factors; e.g., reduce stress and see what happens to cancer rates).

A personality pattern characterized by *helplessness and hopelessness.* This *increases PAC activity,* which leads to *low natural killer cell function.* It is also characterized by *emotional avoidance.* This *decreases SAM activity,* leading to *less adrenaline and low natural killer cell function.* All of this is bad for cancer recovery. People with this personality type also tend to use *denial and avoidant coping* and have a *sense of passivity and fatalism.*

69 women with early-stage breast cancer were interviewed about *how they were coping with the cancer diagnosis.* There were 4 categories of coping styles: *fighting spirit, denial, stoic acceptance, and helpless/hopeless.* At the 5-year follow-up, women in the *fighting spirit group were doing the best, and women in the denial group were also doing well.* Few of those in the stoic acceptance and helpless/hopeless group were still alive. *10 and 15 years later, these patterns still remained.*

Women whose coping style was to fight the cancer, learn about it, and not let it beat them.

Women whose coping style was to reject the cancer diagnosis or minimize its seriousness. They had plans and wanted to go on with their lives.

Women whose coping style was to calmly accept the diagnosis, with kind of a fatalistic attitude. They wanted to passively carry on as normal.

Women whose coping style was to be totally overwhelmed by and preoccupied with the cancer.

578 women with early-stage breast cancer were followed over 5 years, and they were assessed for their *levels of helplessness/hopelessness.* Within 5 years, *42% of those who were high in H/H had died, compared to only 28% of those who were low in H/H.* The researchers concluded that *fighting spirit is not a strong predictor of survival, and H/H is worse for survival than fighting spirit is good for survival.*

Women with breast cancer were *randomly placed in social support groups.* The study found that *those in support groups lived an average of 3 years longer* than those not in support groups. Researchers believed that the *support groups were reducing the effects of Type C characteristics.*

Women with breast cancer were *assigned to support groups* and *survival rates, pain, and mood* were assessed. Women in support groups reported *less pain and less psychological distress,* but the support groups *did NOT affect survival.* (However, a recent Stanford study found that aggressive cancer DID respond to support groups.)

Women diagnosed with breast cancer were tracked over 10 years, and researchers looked at *how much social support they received* from relatives, friends, and children. *Socially-isolated women were 66% more likely to die of any cause, and twice as likely to die from the breast cancer.* This study suggested that *naturally existing social networks are more important than those provided in a clinical intervention.*

*NO.* Type A is a more powerful risk factor for heart disease than Type C is for cancer. *Type C is more frequent among people with cancer, but it's possible that cancer causes people to develop a Type C personality.* Type C personality characteristics also *only affect the progression of cancer - not the onset.*