
Research: Socializing during Cancer treatment yields better results
The condition of Cancer patients after Chemotherapy was affected by their social interaction with other patients during treatment, according to a new study by National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). Cancer patients were a slightly more likely to survive for five years or more after Chemotherapy if they interacted during the treatment with other patients who also survived for five years or more.
The findings were based on electronic medical records data from 2000 to 2009 from two major hospitals in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. The researchers examined the total time a patient spent with the same patients undergoing chemotherapy and their five-year survival rate. There was notable difference between the two.
When patients were around those during Chemotherapy who died in less than five years following chemotherapy, they had a 72 percent chance of dying within five years following their chemotherapy. The best outcome was when patients interacted with someone who survived for five years or longer: they had a 68 percent chance of dying within five years. The researchers’ model also predicted that if patients were isolated from other patients, they would have a 69.5 percent chance of dying within five years.
The researchers didn’t study why the difference occurred, but hypothesize that it may be related to stress response. When a person is stressed, hormones such as adrenaline are released, resulting in a fight or flight response.
Positive social support during the exact moments of greatest stress is crucial. If you have a friend with Cancer, keeping them company during Chemotherapy probably will help reduce their stress. The impact is likely to be as effective, and possibly more effective, than Cancer patients interacting with other Cancer patients.
