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Group Therapy Linked to Cancer Survival

Study finds improved survival rates among breast cancer patients

By Jess Kilby, Newser User

Posted Nov 17, 2008 5:46 AM CST

(Newser) – Group therapy has been linked to improved survival rates among female participants with breast cancer, a new study has found. Findings appear to support the decades-old, controversial claim that psychological therapy can help cancer patients not only feel better emotionally, but survive longer and fight off recurrences of the disease, Reuters reports.

The study tracked 227 women with breast cancer, half of whom took part in a year of therapy. Eleven years later, the therapy recipients were 56% less likely than the non-recipients to have died of their cancer and 45% less likely to have experienced a recurrence. Researchers say therapy might help boost the immune system by reducing stress.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

A study released today has found that psychological group therapy may help increase survival in women who have breast cancer. (Shutterstock)

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Survival is kind of the bottom line when it comes to cancer. So we have people being healthy, productive people for longer—and that's a huge health outcome.
- Barbara Andersen, who helped lead therapy groups

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COMMENTS

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Guest

Nov 18, 2008 12:54 AM CST

Another self fufilling study the person doing the study was in fact part of it . Who pays for this self serving junk science. This is like the Awards framed in almost any office , Look who gave them, yes their buddies and like my kids ball team everyone gets one. %0 % of the people who read this will die of reading bullshit studies. The facts please, who paid , for said study, this wasn't someone looking over her bills and realized 47% didn't come to Group and therefor must be dead. Paramiters for the study . Skip the bull . THE FACTS PLEASE

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cancer • breast cancer • medical research • survival rates • therapy • psychotherapy

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Group Therapy Linked to Cancer Survival