Psychological counseling, muscle relaxation and other strategies for reducing stress in breast cancer patients can cut their risk of death from the disease by more than half, according to a study published online Monday in the journal Cancer.
The study also found that psychological interventions reduced the risk that tumors would come back by 45%. Even when tumors returned, patients who received the counseling had six more cancer-free months compared with those who did not.
The researchers, led by psychology professor Barbara Andersen of Ohio State University, focused on stress reduction as a primary reason why patients appeared to benefit from group counseling sessions.
But other scientists said there still wasn't enough evidence to support that idea.
"You have to be a little cautious in interpreting these results," said Dr. Smita Bhatia, director of the Center for Cancer Survivorship at City of Hope in Duarte, who wasn't involved in the study. "There is obviously some effect which is persisting long-term; it just needs to be teased out more which part of the program is doing it."
The notion that psychological treatment can prolong the lives of cancer patients "has been controversial for many years," said Michael Stefanek, director of the American Cancer Society's Behavioral Research Center, who also wasn't involved in the study.
Two recent studies that focused on women with early-stage breast cancer found no survival advantage, and he cautioned patients against expecting counseling to prolong their lives.
In the latest study, researchers recruited 227 women who had lumpectomies or modified radical mastectomies and tracked them for a median of 11 years.
The women were divided into two groups, one of which met with a pair of psychologists 26 times during the first year after surgery. Both groups received standard medical follow-up care.
The counseling sessions were aimed at helping patients "reduce distress and improve quality of life," the study said.
The psychologists taught patients a progressive muscle relaxation technique to reduce physical stress. They discussed strategies for combating the fatigue brought on by chemotherapy, helped them be more assertive with doctors and nurses so that they could act on their medical concerns instead of stewing over them, and encouraged them to devote their energy to fun activities while finding friends and family who could help with chores like washing dishes, Andersen said.
