Study: Stress Doesn't Make Breast Cancer Recur

Stage Of Cancer Influences Recurrence, Researchers Say

Results of a new study may help ease the minds of women battling breast cancer.

British researchers studied the role of stress in more than 200 breast cancer patients, focusing on major events, like the breakup of a marriage, over a six-year period.

The scientists said they were surprised to find that the women who had one or more severely stressful life experiences after diagnosis had a lower risk of recurrence than those who did not.

Fifty-four of the women in the study had a recurrence. Up to one-third of women with operable breast cancer will have a recurrence of the disease within five years of being diagnosed, the researchers said.

The size and grade of the tumor and whether it has spread beyond the breast to the lymph nodes are factors that influence recurrence.

Researchers said they hope the findings will help reassure women that the stage of their disease at diagnosis, not stress, is the major factor that will help predict if cancer will come back.

The study published in the British Medical Journal also found that developing depression does not appear to increase the risk of breast cancer returning.

Researchers said the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer can often trigger depression, but these are not associated with future relapse.

The results contradict the findings of an earlier study that showed stress could increase the risk of cancer coming back. That study was larger, had a longer follow-up period and was more thorough than the recent study. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Each year, 1 million women develop the disease worldwide, but early detection and treatment increase the survival chances.

Women are advised to check their breasts to detect changes or lumps that could be indications of the disease. Most breast lumps are not cancerous, doctors say.

Previous Stories:

• June 13, 2002: Computer Helps Detect Breast Cancer
• June 10, 2002: Breast Cancer Rates Rise Among Asian-Americans
• May 20, 2002: 'Booby Jacuzzi' Targets Breast Cancer
• May 16, 2002: Initial Chemo Treatment May Save Breasts
• May 7, 2002: FDA Approves New Breast Cancer Treatment
• April 25, 2002: Book Answers Breast Cancer Questions
• March 12, 2002: Blood Test Could Screen For Breast Cancer

Copyright 2002 by KSAT.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.