title: Psychosocial factors and mortality in women with early stage endometrial cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psychosocial factors have previously been linked with survival and mortality in cancer populations. Little evidence is available about the relationship between these factors and outcomes in gynaecologic cancer populations, particularly endometrial cancer, the fourth most common cancer among women. This study examined the relationship between several psychosocial factors prior to surgical resection and risk of all-cause mortality in women with endometrial cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study utilized a non-experimental, longitudinal design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 87 women (Mage  = 60.69 years, SDage  = 9.12 years) who were diagnosed with T1N0-T3N2 endometrial cancer and subsequently underwent surgery. Participants provided psychosocial data immediately prior to surgery. Survival statuses 4-5 years post-diagnoses were abstracted via medical record review. Cox regression was employed for the survival analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 87 women in this sample, 21 women died during the 4- to 5-year follow-up. Adjusting for age, presence of regional disease and medical comorbidity severity (known biomedical prognostic factors), greater use of an active coping style prior to surgery was significantly associated with a lower probability of all-cause mortality, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.78, p = .04. Life stress, depressive symptoms, use of self-distraction coping, receipt of emotional support and endometrial cancer quality of life prior to surgery were not significantly associated with all-cause mortality 4-5 years following diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater use of active coping prior to surgery for suspected endometrial cancer is associated with lower probability of all-cause mortality 4-5 years post-surgery. Future research should attempt to replicate these relationships in a larger and more representative sample and examine potential behavioural and neuroendocrine/immune mediators of this relationship.
  What is already known on this subject? Psychosocial factors have previously been linked with clinical outcomes in a variety of cancer populations. With regards to gynecologic cancer, the majority of the research has been conducted in ovarian cancer and examines the protective role of social support in mortality outcomes. What does this study add? Demonstrates association between active coping during perioperative period and 5 year survival. Demonstrates psychosocial-survival relationship exists independent of biobehavioral factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Telepak
authors.forename: Sally E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Stacy M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.forename: Linda S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Deidre B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Pereira
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011584:Psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: active coping; clinical outcomes; endometrial cancer; mortality