ONS Connect - February 2008 - (Page 9) pleasant memories, they believed that the treats would help ease the stress of treatment. Another benefit is that caregivers can have a snack with pa tients. Scent of warm cookies can ease stress of chemo. (2007). Retrieved October 31, 2007, from http:// www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85121 .php Optimism helps Quality, Not length, of life he power of the mind has been overestimated when it comes to fighting cancer, according to a recent study. Researchers followed 1,000 patients with head and neck cancer and found that patients’ positive or negative emo tional state had no direct bearing on cancer survival or disease progression, regardless of gender, tumor site, or dis ease stage. During the nineyear study, 646 patients died, allowing an analysis of longevity and outlook. Study participants were enrolled in two Radiation Therapy Oncology Group clinical trials and completed a baseline qualityoflife questionnaire that included an emotional wellbeing subscale. The outcome measure was overall survival. Although no evidence suggests that emotion had an impact on the cancer itself, patients’ mental outlook could have a bearing on their longterm out comes, according to some experts. More people are surviving cancer today, and depression and anxiety can make it more difficult for them to get back to normal, healthy lives. Coyne, J.C., Pajak, T.F., Harris, J., Konski, A., Movsas, B., Ang, K., et al. (2007). Emotional wellbeing does not predict survival in head and neck cancer patients: A Radiation Ther apy Oncology Group study. Cancer, 110(11), 2568–2575. T Cancer Diagnosis Does Not usually affect Divorce rate ouples are no more likely than normal to divorce after a cancer diagnosis, unless a spouse develops cervical or testicular cancer. In the largest and most rigorous study to date investigating how cancer affects marriages, Norwegian research ers compared the divorce rates from 1974–2001 of 215,000 married people diagnosed with cancer to otherwise similar people (gender, age, education level, number of children, and dura tion of marriage). No overall harmful influence of a cancer diagnosis was observed. Most cancers resulted in a small, im mediate decline in divorce rates in the first years following diagnosis. Excep tions were a 40% increase in divorce probability for women diagnosed with cervical cancer and a 20% increase for men diagnosed with testicular can cer. The researchers believe that the increase may be because cervical and C testicular cancers are illnesses that occur relatively early in adult life and are closely linked to intimacy and sexu ality. Further research is needed to understand the reason for the increased divorce risks seen for survivors of these cancers. The findings also confirmed previous studies debunking the theory that hus bands may be more likely to abandon their wives after breast cancer. Breast cancer survivors saw an 8% decrease in their divorce risk compared to women without the disease. The results advance the study of the quality of life of cancer survivors and their families as cancer treatments and care improve. Syse A., & Kravdal, O. (2007). Does cancer affect the divorce rate? [Abstract 1207]. European Journal of Cancer, 5(4, Suppl.), 162. Contributing Editor Deborah McBride, RN, MSN, CPON ®, is a nurse at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center and a faculty member at Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, CA. February 2008 ONS CONNECT 9 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85121.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85121.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85121.php
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