There are complex relationships between cancer and mental state, of which the most readily understandable are the psychological reactions of patients with established malignant disease. More speculative, and difficult to study, is the possibility that psychological states may predispose to the development of cancer. Currently, theoretical and research interest centres on a third topic — the high frequency of cases in which an underlying malignant disease presents as a ‘functional’ psychiatric illness, usually a depression. The suggestion is made that this may eventually be explained by an immunological mechanism.
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