[The significance of psychosocial factors for the course of breast cancer--results of a prospective follow-up study].

The meaning of psychosocial factors for the course of breast cancer--First results of a prospective research project. Studies investigating the meaning of psychosocial factors for the course of cancerous diseases have so far been contradictious. In this paper the basic datas and first results of a prospective research project on this topic covering 107 breast cancer patients are reported. Somatic datas such as stage of lymph-nodes, type of surgery and additional treatments (radiation therapy or chemotherapy), are less important for the coping process 6 months after primary treatment than the cognitive attitudes of the patients toward their disease. About 56 percent of the patients coped quite well with their disease, 44 percent showed difficulties. The group of patients whose somatic and psychosocial prognosis was judged rather unfavorably at the time of the first examination, showed the highest rate of recidivation and progredience in the follow-up of the first 12 months.