Adaptation to breast cancer depends on two parameters: one derived from the patient and one from the disease. The first comprises the psychological and social factors that are determined by the patient and her surroundings: the psychologic adjustment the patient had before illness, her social supports, especially her spouse, and her social context which will contribute to her need to hide her illness or encourage her sharing the loss with others, especially those who have had a similar experience. The other factor determining psychologic adjustment is contributed by the disease itself: the extent of spread, surgical operability, need for adjuvant therapy, the full application of rehabilitative measures, including plastic reconstruction when appropriate, and the psychologic management by the surgeon in the doctor-patient relationship. Each of these variables contributes to the emotional resources available to the woman and to the stresses that must be surmounted in adaptation to breast cancer; each can serve as a positive force or a negative one. At times, one strongly positive factor, such as family support, can counter several exceptionally negative aspects and result in a positive adjustment despite severe illness. Each variable will be discussed in relation to its contribution to an "adaptive readaptation" and optimal psychologic well-being despite illness, versus those factors that create a "maladaptive readaptation" with less than optimal psychologic well being.
An exploratory pilot group of ten women receiving highly emetic cancer chemotherapy received an experimental clinical relaxation program designed to diminish nausea and vomiting. Results indicated that duration of emetic response, frequency of vomiting, intensity of episodic effort and volume of emesis were reduced substantially when compared to the known clinical course for patients receiving these agents. Further, a pattern of cmetic response characterized by three phases was identified and is anticipated to provide criteria allowing for more precise patient assessment and improved anliemetic regimen evaluation. In addition, data gathered provided a base for development of an emetic response rating scale.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.