Personality and cancer

Evidence concerning a possible link between personality and cancer is incon sistent, The present review focuses on recent evidence that links personali ty-related variables to quality of life, disease progression and developmen t, and screening in the context of cancer, This evidence suggests that pers onality and social comparison information may impact on adaptation to cance r, that emotional distress may adversely affect the clinical course of canc er, that chronic depression may increase cancer risk, and that emotional di stress may influence health-enhancing behaviours. Accordingly, psyche-oncol ogical research should include both state and trait measures of distress an d related personality variables, Curr Opin Psychiatry 12:743-748. (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.