Optimistic women with ovarian cancer fare better

By Megan Rauscher

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A study of women with ovarian
cancer undergoing chemotherapy shows that those with a more
optimistic outlook were less distressed and had a better
quality of life.

The study team also found that higher levels of optimism at
the start of treatment were associated with greater declines in
cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) levels during treatment. Declines
in CA 125 have been used to predict the likelihood of remission
and survival in ovarian cancer patients.

“It is important for health care providers to identify
patients who feel less optimistic about life and their cancer
and treatment because this population may be vulnerable to
distress, diminished quality of life, and suboptimum clinical
outcomes,” said Dr. Janet S. de Moor, now at the Ohio State
University School of Public Health in Columbus.

“Patients who are less optimistic may benefit from
interventions to help them cope with their cancer diagnosis,”
she added.

While Dr. de Moor was at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in
Boston, she and her colleagues assessed levels of optimism,
distress, and health-related quality of life, and the change in
CA 125 at the start and end of chemotherapy in 90 women with
ovarian cancer.

As reported in the July/August issue of Psychosomatic
Medicine, the researchers found that women who reported higher
optimism about life in general and about their cancer and
treatment reported lower anxiety, depression, and perceived
stress, as well as better health-related quality of life. They
also experienced greater declines in their CA 125 levels during
chemotherapy.

“The association between optimism and CA 125 is plausible
given other research linking psychosocial variables to
tumor-related markers,” Dr. de Moor told Reuters Health. “It
should be tested further in future research.”

SOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine, July/August 2006.