University of Aarhus 2005
The psyche plays an important role for cancer patients
Since 2000, Professor Bobby Zachariae and his team at the Psychooncological Research Unit have been investigating the importance of the psyche for the progress of cancer.
By Jakob Kehlet
Pills and surgery are not the only factors that matter to patients with life-threatening diseases. The psyche may also play a role if they are to recover from a serious disease.
This is one of the questions that researchers at the Psychooncological Research Unit are working on.
The research unit is currently undertaking an extensive survey of 3,500 women with breast cancer. This survey is the largest and most thorough of its kind to date, and is expected to be completed by 2008. However, Professor Zachariae can already present some partial results indicating that talking openly about the disease may be an advantage to
the women.
“Women who have no one to talk to about their disease seem to suffer more from post-traumatic stress, and they are more likely to get depressed,” says Professor Zachariae.
Investigations have shown that 50% of women with breast cancer believe that their psyche has a great impact on their chances of recovering from the disease.
“The problem is that nobody yet knows whether they are right. That is why we are undertaking this survey about the importance of psychological and social circumstances regarding the course of the women’s disease,” says Professor Zachariae.
A short step from research to practice
Around the world, research into the role of the psyche in the course of diseases has been on the agenda for about 20 years. In Aarhus, this type of research began in earnest after the establishment of the Psychooncological Research Unit in 2000. The unit was a result of cooperation between Aarhus Hospital, the University of Aarhus and the Danish Cancer Society.
As a result, Professor Zachariae and other researchers in the unit come and go at both the Department of Oncology at the hospital and at the university’s Department of Psychology. In other words, there is only a short step from research to practice.
The theories about the role of the psyche in the course of a disease are gaining acceptance – even among doctors – but there is still a long way to go before the conditions for psychooncological research are as good as those for traditional medical research.
“It is still much more difficult to get money for our area of research compared with standard biological and medical research,” says Professor Zachariae.
The research unit has nevertheless managed to launch some very unconventional projects.
The unit has, for example, investigated the theory claimed by healers that their treatments can slow down the development of cancer cells. The research unit worked with three healers in a controlled experiment, which simply meant that the healers were allowed to treat cancer cells in a laboratory.
“The experiment showed that the healing had no effect on the behaviour of the cells, but that does not necessarily mean that healing has no effect. The care that the patient experiences through treatment by the healer may affect the course of the disease,” says Professor Zachariae.
Other studies undertaken by the research unit aim at investigating the importance of the relationship between patients and therapists. In a survey of 454 conversations between doctors and cancer patients, the results showed that the way the doctor communicates is important for the patients’ well-being and belief in their ability to cope with the disease and treatment.
Many Danes seek alternative treatment
Alternative medicine is also the subject of many of the research unit’s activities. Following a grant from the Knowledge and Research Centre for Alternative Medicine, the research unit, the University of Southern Denmark and the Aarhus School of Business established a so-called brickless research centre to examine different aspects of alternative medicine.
“Many cancer patients seek alternative treatment. Half of all women with breast cancer seek some form of alternative treatment. We therefore need to map the benefit that the patients may be deriving from these treatments, and to research the mechanisms involved,” says Professor Zachariae.
He mentions acupuncture as an example. The patients have different reactions to the treatment with needles, and it was therefore logical to look at the reasons behind this. Why the patients reacted differently to the treatment may be that the psyche of certain individuals makes them more receptive to alternative treatment.
“So far, the investigations of acupuncture have been complicated by the fact that it has been impossible to undertake trials that were sufficiently well controlled, and in which one group was treated and the other was given a placebo. However, a special placebo needle was developed recently. It looks like a real acupuncture needle, but it does not penetrate the skin,” says Professor Zachariae.
Professor Zachariae is satisfied
He is satisfied with the recognition that psychooncological research has gained over a period of time.
“There is a high degree of acceptance, as we are primarily judged by the scientific quality of the methods we use. We are very conscious of the fact that plausible evidence must be presented, if we are to convince the health authorities that the psyche has an impact on diseases,” says Professor Zachariae.
“We survey the importance of psychological and social circumstances regarding the course of a person’s disease,” explains Bobby Zachariae.