PERSONALITY-CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REACTIONS OF CANCER-PATIENTS RECEIVING RADIOTHERAPY

Background: To date, only few investigations are available regarding t he side effects of radiotherapy and the coping of patients with them. In order to determine to which extent the patients' complaints are sub ject to personality characteristics, the patients were interviewed; th e information on physical and mental strain thus obtained was correlat ed to the patients' personality characteristics. Patients and Methods: 91 radiooncological patients were interviewed for physical complaints and impairment of mental state at start, in the middle and at the end of an approximately 6-week course of radiotherapy. The patients (66 f emales, 25 males) had different diagnoses, but comparable histories an d durations of disease (all of them having had surgery as first treatm ent shortly before). Furthermore, at the beginning of radiotherapy spe cific personality factors were determined. The correlation between the impairments reported and personality factors was calculated (differen tiated for age and sex). Results: We observed a marked correlation bet ween the reported (physical and mental) impairments and an attitude th at may be defined as a communicative and social regression and resigna tion. The extent of impairments quoted was the higher the more patient s tended to react to stress situations by social regression and resign ation. Conclusions: The results reveal that, on the one hand, a more p recise differentiation between objective and subjective side effects i s required; on the other hand, complaints not only express a certain w ay of coping with a situation but also must be seen as the reflection of the physician - patient relationship.