DOES INFORMED ADJUVANT PLACEBO CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST-CANCER ELICIT IMMUNE CHANGES
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- Published online on: July 1, 1994 https://doi.org/10.3892/or.1.4.699
- Pages: 699-703
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Abstract
To study psychological effects on the immune system, a saline infusion was administered to 24 fully informed patients who previously had received adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Blood samples were drawn before and after treatment, and compared to samples obtained at home two days earlier. Patients displayed a rise in natural killer-cell activity and a tendency to lowered percentage of suppressor/cytotoxic cells when assessed before treatment as compared to at home. Trait anxiety was associated with numbers of leukocytes. It is concluded that immune status partly reflects psychological factors.