Women with breast cancer 'live longer' with group therapy



Joining a support group could double a woman's chances of surviving breast cancer, research suggests.

Breast cancer patients who attended regular stress-busting sessions with psychologists were around half as likely to die from the disease as other women, a study found.

The disease was also less likely to come back, and when it did, it took longer to recur, increasing the amount of high-quality time they had with their loved ones, the journal Cancer reports.

Women who undertook group therapy coped better with breast cancer and lived longer according to a new study

It is thought the support the women received, including relaxation and problem solving techniques and advice on how to approach family and friends, helped thwart the cancer by cutting stress levels.

Although a link between patient support and quality of life has been made before, this study is the first to credit it with the ability to prolong life.

Researcher Barbara Andersen said: 'The results suggest that we can help breast cancer patients make positive steps that may help them live longer and make recurrence less likely.'

Professor Andersen, of Ohio State University, tracked the wellbeing of 227 breast cancer patients for an average of 11 years.

At the start of the study, all had undergone breast surgery but the cancer had not spread.

All received the usual medical treatment but half were also asked to attend regular group counselling sessions.



Led by a psychologist, these included relaxation techniques and advice on how to avoid becoming too tired and how to approach family and friends for support.

The 26 sessions held over the course of a year also included some diet and exercise advice and information on how to deal with side-effects of cancer treatment.

The cancer recurred in 62 of the women and 54 died.

However, analysis showed the women who took part in the group sessions or 'intervention programme' we around half as likely to have died.

The cancer was also half as likely to come back and, when it did, it recurred six months later than in the other women, the journal Cancer reports.

The benefits also seemed to extend to overall health, with women who had received counselling also being less likely to have died of other health problems, such as heart disease.

Professor Andersen, of Ohio State University's Institute for Behavioural Medicine Research, said: 'Many of the strategies learned in the intervention programme, such as stress reduction, may have benefited them from heart disease and other causes of death.

'We found a strong relationship between patients' use of the intervention strategies we taught them and better health.

'If psychological interventions to reduce stress are delivered early, they can improve mental health, health and possibly even odds of survival.'

She added that the main focus of the sessions was on psychological support and not advice on diet and exercise.

It is thought that counselling cuts levels of stress-related hormones and other compounds that fuel cancer.

British experts welcomed the research but questioned how much of the effect was due to lifestyle changes.

Dr Emma Pennery, of Breast Cancer Care, said: 'It is very hard to untangle exactly what elements of this intervention made the difference, the intervention was about more than just counselling.

'One thing we know for absolute certainty is that one of the aspects that can improve survival chances is exercise.'

She added that all patients should have access to support from specialist nurses. However, the level of help available varies from part to part of the country.

Dr Sarah Rawlings, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: 'This is a very small study and other research has not shown a link between psychological interventions and increased survival in patients with early breast cancer.

'Regardless of this study, we know that alongside treatment, psychological support can be very important for

many breast cancer patients to enhance their quality of life and reduce distress.'

Dr Michael Stefanek, of the American Cancer Society, urged patients not to read too much into the results.

He said that other studies had come to the opposite conclusion, adding: 'We should not conclude that psychological interventions increase survival among women with early stage breast cancer.'