title: Chronic and acute stress as predictors of relapse in primary breast cancer patients.
abstract: In this paper we present data on predictors of early relapse (at three and a half years post-surgery) in 44 patients with primary breast carcinoma. We expected that the degree to which receiving the diagnosis of malignancy would act as an acute stressor would allow a prediction of early relapse. Acute stress is measured by means of changes in psychological, neurochemical and immunological indicators of stress before and after the communication of the diagnosis. The results indicate that the assumption does not hold. Chronic stress, however, appears to be a strong predictor of early relapse. The measure of chronic stress is based on a self-report questionnaire of health complaints in the year before the diagnosis of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: University of Antwerp-RUCA, Middelheimlaan 1, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium. bertdb@ruca.ua.ac.be
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Brabander
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gerits
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008016:Life Change Events; D016015:Logistic Models; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000523:psychology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires