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A growing body of research suggests that cancer patients who have strong support networks fare better than patients who deal with their cancer alone. A person's social network size and social connectedness have long been thought to affect a person’s health and well-being.
“A cancer diagnosis adds an enormous amount of stress to a person’s life,” says Harold J. Burstein, MD, a staff oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “But people who have strong social supports -- good friends and family -- tend to cope much better.”
Now researchers at the University of Chicago using mice models to study human breast cancer have demonstrated that negative social environments—isolation in this study —caused increased tumor growth.
The work shows for the first time that social isolation is associated with altered gene expression, and stress brought on by loneliness could ultimately increase a breast tumor’s growth.
The University of Chicago researchers, Suzanne D. Conzen, MD, associate professor of medicine, and Bio-behavioral psychologist Martha McClintock, PhD, professor of psychology and founder of the Institute for Mind and Biology, took mice that were genetically predisposed to develop breast cancer and raised them in either a group or isolated environment. After the same amount of time, the isolated mice grew larger breast cancer tumors. They were also found to have developed a disrupted stress hormone response.
“I doubted there would be a difference in the growth of the tumors in such a strong model of genetically inherited cancer simply based on chronic stress in their environments, so I was surprised to see a clear, measurable difference both in mammary gland tumor growth and interestingly, in accompanying behavior and stress hormone levels,” Dr. Conzen said.
The findings, published September 30, 2009 in Cancer Prevention Research also support previous epidemiologic studies suggesting that social isolation increases the mortality of chronic diseases, as well as clinical studies revealing that social support improves the outcomes of cancer patients.
For example, among the body of research, a 2005 study conducted by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Urology and published in the peer-reviewed journal CANCER found that men with prostate cancer who were married or in a relationship reported better psychosocial and spiritual well-being, suffered fewer adverse effects from treatment and had less fear and anxiety about their cancer coming back than did their single counterparts.
A study published in the February 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons showed that patients with a large support network of family and friends reported feeling less pain and anxiety prior to and after having a surgical procedure, which can have a substantially positive impact on their postoperative recovery. These patients required shorter hospital stays, less pain medications and less care after the surgery.
The one common thread throughout the research is that relationships matter. Social interaction can help ease stressors, creates a positive support network, and improves quality of life for people dealing with serious health issues.
“Family members and friends help just by listening, even if they don’t do anything more," said Dr. Frank Baker, vice president for behavioral research for the American Cancer Society.
Have social relationships helped you or a loved one cope with a cancer diagnosis? Tell us about it.
Azsunshinegirl, aka Lynette Summerill, is an award-winning journalist who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition to writing about cancer-related issues, she writes a blog, Nonsmoking Nation, which follows global tobacco news and events.
Add a Comment2 Comments
Pat, I too was fascinated by this article. So often when a friend or family member is diagnosed with a serious illness, like cancer, we want to help, but quite often just don't know what to do. Sometimes we feel powerless. It is nice to know that by merely giving our love and support we can make a difference. Caring is a powerful word and an even more powerful action. It is so wonderful that there are communities such as these where we can support one another. Thank you for sharing your comment.
October 9, 2009 - 9:38amThis Comment
AZSunshineGirl - What an interesting article! I've seen a number of studies that associate health status with whether or not people have a support network, but this is the first I've heard that isolation could affect tumor growth. We are fortunate today that there are online services like the CaringBridge website that enable people to connect with loved ones during a serious illness and build a personal support team. And, of course, the EmpowHer site is all about connecting people so they're not alone while dealing with a health concern. Thanks so much for this fascinating information. Pat
October 8, 2009 - 6:47pmThis Comment