[A case-control study of psychosocial stress and cancer]

As psychosocial stress has been suspected as a risk factor for cancer, a case-control study was conducted. A total 106 cases with cancer of the various sites and 106 age-sex matched hospital control with non-cancerous disease or without disease were compared on their responses to the questionnaire which included the items on life event, stress coping behavior, emotional support, and neuroticism. No significant odds ratio was observed for each dimension of the stress and the comprehensive stress index, even after adjusting for smoking and other life style factors. Some methodological problems were discussed.