title: Low psychopathology scores in the prognosis of breast cancer. A preliminary report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research findings regarding the influence of psychopathology on cancer progression are not yet clear. This preliminary report investigates the severity of psychopathology assessed before biopsy in patients with invasive breast carcinoma (IBC) and its association with two follow-up outcomes: disease-free (to first recurrence) and survival periods.
  
  
  METHODS
  The psychiatric assessment of 80 patients under 70 years old was established by means of an interview before biopsy. The DSM-IV criteria were used to establish the past and current psychiatric diagnoses. The Present State Examination (PSE)-Index of Definition (ID)-computer program (CATEGO) was used to define total PSE score, clusters of psychiatric symptoms (psychiatric syndromes) and current clinical severity (ID). The independent influence of biological prognostic factors and psychiatric variables on first recurrence or survival period was tested using Cox's proportional hazards regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After biopsy, 38 IBC patients were followed up for 3 to 8-1/3 years. During this period, 8 patients died from IBC and 7 were alive with metastatic disease. Cox's proportional hazards regression analyses showed that tumor diameter and low ID were independent significant predictors of early recurrence, whereas tumor diameter, negative estrogen receptors and low ID were independent significant predictors of survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A low prebiopsy psychopathology score in IBC is a predictor of early recurrence and short survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece. pgtrikas@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Panayotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Trikas
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vlachonikolis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Samonis
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Askoxilakis
authors.forename: Dimitris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsiftsis
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koutsoubi
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paritsis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012008:Recurrence; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors