Effects of a structured psychiatric intervention on immune function of cancer patients

The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of mood state and coping styles on the immune function in Japanese breast cancer patients who participated in a structured group intervention program. The program consisted of five-weekly 90-minute sessions, including psycho-education, psychological support, problem-solving technique and relaxation/imagery. Out of 77 breast cancer patients who participated in this program, 34 were eligible for measurement of immune functions because they received adjuvant chemotherapy. Comparison of the pre- and post-intervention scores of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) revealed significant decreases in Depression (p < 0.05), Lack-of-Vigor (p < 0.01), Tension-Anxiety (p < 0.01), Confusion (p < 0.05) and Total Mood Disturbances (p < 0.01), as expected. Concerning coping styles, there were tendencies to decrease the score of active-cognitive coping (p = 0.09), although the differences were not statistically significant. In contrast, the pre- and post-intervention values of immune parameters such as CD3, CD4, CD8, CD4/8 and natural-killer cell activity showed no significant differences. In this report, we discuss several possibilities underlying these findings. Further studies with a larger number of subjects and controls are needed to reach conculusions.