Acquiescence to adjunctive experimental therapies may relate to psychological distress: pilot data from a bone marrow...

Use of alternative therapy for breast cancer outside of the hospital setting has been identified as a marker of psychological distress. Whether acquiescence to experimental therapies within the medical setting might also be a sign of psychological distress is not well known. We therefore evaluated patients with breast cancer undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT), an experimental method for treatment, to determine if acquiescence to further adjunctive experimental therapy related to psychological distress. In order to do this, we studied psychological test results of 42 breast cancer patients undergoing BMT at the University of Florida between January and December 1997. These tests included the Medical Outcomes Short Form Health Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire. Women who accepted adjunctive experimental therapy had significantly higher trait anxiety and poorer role functioning compared to women who did not (both P < 0.001). These findings suggest that psychological distress may be a factor in medical decision-making even within the medical setting and that prospective research in this area is warranted.