Stress and Quality of Life in Brain Cancer Survivors

Focus of Research by Winners of CSOC
Young Investigator Awards

2007 marked the first presentation of the Young Investigator Awards at the Chicago Supportive Oncology Conference (CSOC).  The purpose of these awards was to recognize the professional development of scientists-in-training who are pursuing research in the field of supportive oncology.  The 2007 recipients of the CSOC Young Investigators Awards focused their research on a common topic: stress and long-term survival in brain cancer patients.

Dr. Stephen T. Keir of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University was one of the recognized researchers.  He was acknowledged for his study of stress as it relates to long-term survival in brain cancer, a study he began because “patients with brain tumors are living longer, and it is important to understand their needs.” 

Keir continued. “Unlike many other cancer populations, long-term survivors of brain cancer can remain on treatment over a long time, and they are vulnerable in terms of problems related to both their disease and treatment,” he said.  “Stress levels may decline when cancer patients reach long-term milestones, but in brain cancer, the possibility of recurrence is a reality.  We found that long-term survivors of brain cancer may be just as stressed as the newly diagnosed, though there was something of a shift in what concerns them.”

Click here to download a PDF of the complete article with more from his study as published in The Journal of Supportive Oncology.