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Topic Name: New Research Disproves Widespread Belief that Group Psychotherapy Extends the Lives of Cancer Patients
Category: Biomedical
Research persons: Steven C. Palmer, PhD, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Department of Psychiatry; and Michael Stefanek, PhD, American Cancer Society.
Location: The University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA 1-800-789-PENN © 2007, The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, United States
Details
Researchers found that previous studies had
numerous methodological and analytical flaws, including the fact that
they were not designed to test the hypothesis that psychotherapy extends
the lives of cancer patients.
Previously-published research has given credence to the notion
that psychotherapy
extends the lives of people with cancer.
In fact, one in four cancer patients believe that science supports the
idea that participating in group
therapy will extend their lives. However, in a paper appearing
in the May issue of the Psychological
Bulletin, researchers at the University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine concluded – after an
extensive research review – that there is no compelling evidence
linking psychotherapy or support
groups with survival among cancer patients.“We all wish that psychotherapy could prolong life, because it
appeals so strongly to firmly-rooted notions that a person should be
able to control their destiny,” says lead author, James
C. Coyne, PhD, Co-Leader, Cancer
Control and Outcomes Program, Abramson
Cancer Center and Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry
at Penn. “We have a special responsibility to cancer patients to
clarify that the reasonable goal of psychotherapy and support groups is
to improve their quality of life, not extend it.”
Two studies in particular – Spiegel
et al., 1989 and Fawzy
et al., 1993 – have been widely interpreted as providing early
support for the idea that psychotherapy promotes survival among cancer
patients. However, the authors report that the studies had
numerous methodological and analytical flaws, including the fact that
they were not designed to test the hypothesis that psychotherapy extends
the lives of cancer patients. The study investigators had redefined the
purpose of their studies after looking at their data – a practice that
is generally not acceptable in biomedicine and that often leads to
claims that will not be validated in subsequent studies.
Coyne notes, “If these studies had been testing medications, rather
than psychotherapy, no one would have paid much attention to the
redefined outcome of improved survival, and leading medical journals
would probably not have accepted the papers, given their other flaws.”
In the years following these studies, additional studies have been
conducted to test for the effect of psychotherapy
extending the lives of
cancer patients, but none have demonstrated a survival benefit that
could logically be attributed to psychotherapy. In biomedicine, a
large-scale trial would not be considered warranted for cases in which a
hypothesis was interesting but improbable given the available data.
Therefore, the authors conclude that there is not enough basis to
justify investing additional funding for research in this area.
Additional authors of this research review are Steven
C. Palmer, PhD, Abramson
Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Department
of Psychiatry; and Michael
Stefanek, PhD, American
Cancer Society.
Funded:
PENN Medicine is a $2.9 billion enterprise dedicated
to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and
high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first
medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Penn's School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt
of NIH research funds; and ranked #3 in the nation in U.S. News &
World Report's most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical
schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School
of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and
training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of
academic medicine.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three
hospitals, all of which have received numerous national patient-care
honors [Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania
Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical
Center]; a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two
multispecialty satellite facilities; and home care and hospice
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