The role of emotional support in cancer therapy

This morning in grand rounds we had a speaker from Integrative Medicine discuss the role of stress, anxiety and depression in cancer survival. Without going into the meat of the science, he made a compelling case that a patient's emotional well being is directly and even biochemically related to progression of disease. In short, stress makes tumors grow.

In light of this information, the speaker said something that really stood out for me. Although not a direct quote, it was along the lines:

"Meeting the emotional needs of a child with cancer is critical to their treatment. For adults, however, we typically leave it up to them to meet those needs."

What he was saying: health care providers acknowledge the role of emotional support in the treatment of pediatric cancer, and go out of their way to meet the needs of those patients. Emotional support is presumably just as important in the treatment of adults, but there is much less of a focus on it from health care providers.

The hospital where I work is arguably the best in the country, having a strong integrative medicine program in addition to a commitment to scientific research. I know the patients here are having their emotional needs met to a greater degree than anywhere else in the country. What I am concerned about it the lack of emphasis this aspect of treatment is getting elsewhere.

What I hope to accomplish with this blog, at least in part, is to educate cancer patients and their families about the role of things-other-than-chemo in cancer treatment. I will also post about clinical trials and how they are run. I would like this to be a place where patients can find answers and support while they are dealing with the disease. I encourage any and all comments.