Colon cancer: Personality factors predictive of onset and stage of presentation

• Published in: Journal of psychosomatic research Vol. 39; no. 8; pp. 1031 - 1039
• Main Authors: Kavan, Michael G., Engdahl, Brian E., Kay, Stephanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.11.1995; New York, NY Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Colon - pathology; Colon cancer; Colonic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Colonic Neoplasms - epidemiology; Colonic Neoplasms - pathology; Colorectal cancer; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hostility; Humans; Illness and personality; Illness, stress and coping; Male; Neoplasm Staging; Onset; Personality; Personality Assessment; Phobias; Predictors; Prevention; Prospective Studies; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Religious Fundamentalism; Veterans; Prevention; Hostility; Religious fundamentalism; Phobias; Colorectal cancer; Colonic disease; Human; Personality test; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease; Personality; Colon; Malignant tumor; Antecedent
• ISSN: 0022-3999; 1879-1360
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-3999(95)00523-4

This study examined premorbid personality correlates of colon cancer and stage of presentation of colon cancer to health care providers. Sixty-one male veterans who completed the MMPI between 1947 and 1975 and were then diagnosed with colon cancer between 1977 and 1988 were matched with control patients. A 21-factor solution of the MMPI [1] was used to seek potential personality differences between colon cancer cases and their controls in terms of presence of colon cancer and stage of presentation for this disease. A stepwise conditional regression analysis found significant differences between the colon cancer and control groups on the Aggressive Hostility variable ( p<0.018). A multivariate analysis of variance conducted across the stages of colon cancer presentation found that patients who presented later on for colon cancer had higher Phobia scores ( p<0.05). Religious Fundamentalism who also related to presentation ( p<0.05), but in a nonlinear manner. Discussion is related to previous findings regarding the relationship between personality and development of cancer, as well as to implications for patient screening.