Group therapy doesn't extend life in breast cancer

Women with breast cancer who take part in group therapy sessions with other patients live no longer than those who do not, but experience a better quality of life and less pain, researchers said on Monday.

The study led by Dr. David Spiegel of Stanford University School of Medicine in California ran counter to findings published in 1989 by a group also led by Spiegel that women in psychotherapy groups outlived other breast cancer patients.

That original study helped popularize such group therapy, but subsequent research produced mixed results.

Spiegel said he was surprised and disappointed that the new study, which tracked 125 women with breast cancer that had spread to other parts of the body, did not find that group therapy prolonged their lives.

But Spiegel said the study confirmed that these weekly sessions served to improve the quality of life for the women, with these patients reporting less pain, distress and anxiety.

"The main finding was that overall, we did not replicate our earlier finding that group therapy for metastatic breast cancer leads to longer survival," Spiegel said in a telephone interview.

"The take-home message for women is that support groups help you live better, whether or not they help you live longer," added Spiegel, whose findings are published in Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society.

source : news.yahoo.com