COPING STRATEGIES AND COURSE OF DISEASE OF BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS - RESULTS OF A 3-YEAR LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

In a prospective 3-year longitudinal study investigating correlations between coping strategies and course of breast cancer a consecutive series of 107 patients were assessed for biological and psychosocial data. Data analysis indicated no significant correlations between coping strategies and course of cancer. On the other hand, biological parameters such as size of tumor and lymph node stage at time of surgery correlated significantly with the course of disease. It was concluded that the assessed indicators of coping are of little importance in regard to the course of the disease and less predictive compared with somatical parameters of breast cancer.