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Biomedical subjects

Michael Stefanek

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Stefanek.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The influence of bio-behavioural factors on tumour biology: pathways and mechanisms.

Epidemiological studies indicate that stress, chronic depression and lack of social support might serve as risk factors for cancer development and progression. Recent cellular and molecular studies have identified biological processes that could potentially mediate such effects. This review integrates clinical, cellular and molecular studies to provide a mechanistic understanding of the interface between biological and behavioural influences in cancer, and identifies novel behavioural or pharmacological interventions that might help improve cancer outcomes.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A heuristics approach to understanding cancer risk perception: contributions from judgment and decision-making research.

BACKGROUND: The likelihood judgments that people make about their risks for cancer have important implications. At the individual level, risk estimates guide protective actions, such as cancer screening. However, at the extremes, exaggerated risk judgments can also lead to anxiety that degrades quality of life or to aggressive self-protective actions that are unwarranted given the objective risks. At the policy level, risk judgments may serve as an indicator of societal perceptions of the "war" against cancer. Using risk judgments, the public expresses its belief about whether we are winning. PURPOSE: We present theoretical perspectives from judgment and decision making, illustrate how they can explain some of the existing empirical findings in the cancer risk literature, and describe additional predictions that have not yet been tested. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we suggest that theories from the judgment and decision-making perspective offer a potentially powerful view for understanding and improving risk judgments for cancer and other diseases.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2005

Religion, spirituality and cancer: current status and methodological challenges.

The role of religion and spirituality in health has received increasing attention in the scientific and lay literature. While the scientific attention to this issue has expanded, there continue to be methodological and measurement concerns that often prevent firm conclusions about health and adjustment benefits. Limited attention has been provided to the role of spirituality and religion in cancer. This is true when both disease outcome and adjustment are considered. A recent 'levels of evidence' review examining the link between physical health and religion or spirituality found little overall support for the hypotheses that religion or spirituality impact cancer progression or mortality. Studies examining their impact on quality of life and adjustment are decidedly mixed. In sum, research specifically focusing on the role of religion or spirituality on cancer outcomes has been surprisingly sparse. Such research presents a number of methodological and measurement challenges. Due to these unmet challenges in the literature to date, it is premature to determine what role religion and spirituality play in disease, adjustment, or quality of life outcomes in cancer. A number of suggestions are made for continued research in this area.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed2005

Linking decision-making research and cancer prevention and control: important themes.

This article describes 6 themes underlying the multiple presentations from the Basic and Applied Decision Making in Cancer Control meeting, held February 19-20, 2004. The following themes have important implications for research and practice linking basic decision-making research to cancer prevention and control: (a) Traditional decision-making theories fail to capture real-world decision making, (b) decision makers are often unable to predict future preferences, (c) preferences are often constructed on the spot and thus are influenced by situational cues, (d) decision makers often rely on feelings rather than beliefs when making a decision, (e) the perspective of the decision maker is critical in determining preferences, and (f) informed decision making may--or may not--yield the best decisions.

Congresses as Topic↗
PubMed2005

Basic and applied decision making in cancer control.

Decision making is fundamental to all aspects of cancer care--prevention, detection, treatment, survivorship, and end of life--yet researchers and clinicians have limited knowledge of the ways in which patients and their health care providers make critical health decisions. Recognizing how important it is to understand how patients and their providers make potentially life-altering decisions, the National Cancer Institute developed a decision making in cancer control initiative. The goal of this initiative is to enhance understanding of human decision-making processes so that individuals can make more informed and satisfying choices regarding their health. This article describes the multidisciplinary meeting that provided the scientific foundation for this initiative.

Decision Support Techniques↗
PubMed2004

Surgical risk reduction: prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy and prophylactic mastectomy.

Investigators have used retrospective and prospective study designs to provide much needed data on the extent of risk reduction after prophylactic oophorectomy and mastectomy in women at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer. In this publication we identify those women who may wish to consider prophylactic surgery, review data demonstrating the efficacy of prophylactic surgery, and discuss potential surgical complications. We also present data about the frequency of use and psychosocial impact of prophylactic surgery in this typically young group of women. Finally, we provide general treatment guidelines for the practicing clinician.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2004

Current research promises and challenges in behavioral oncology: report from the American Society of Preventive Oncology annual meeting, 2002.

The Behavioral Oncology Interest Group of the American Society of Preventive Oncology held a Roundtable session on March 10, 2002, at the American Society of Preventive Oncology annual meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, to discuss the current state-of-the-science in behavioral approaches to cancer prevention and control and to delineate priorities for additional research. Four key areas were considered: (a) behavioral approaches to cancer genetic risk assessment and testing; (b) biological mechanisms of psychosocial effects on cancer; (c) the role of risk perceptions in cancer screening adherence; and (d) the impact of tailored and targeted interventions on cancer prevention and control research. The evidence reviewed indicates that behavioral approaches have made significant contributions to cancer prevention and control research. At the same time, there is a need to more closely link future investigations to the underlying base of behavioral science principles and paradigms that guide them. To successfully bridge the gap between the availability of effective new cancer prevention and control technologies and the participants they are meant to serve will require the development of more integrative conceptual models, the incorporation of more rigorous methodological designs, and more precise identification of the individual and group characteristics of the groups under study.

Genetic Counseling↗
PubMed2002

Genetic testing for lung cancer risk: if physicians can do it, should they?

Advances in genetics have increased our ability to assess an individual's genetic risk for disease. There is a hypothesis that genetic test results will motivate high-risk individuals to reduce harmful exposures, to increase their surveillance for disease, or to seek preventive treatments. However, genetic testing for genes associated with an increased risk of lung cancer would not change physicians' recommendations regarding smoking cessation. Limited studies suggest that test results that demonstrate an increased risk of lung cancer do not improve smoking cessation success. These test results may even distort an individual's risk perceptions. Before recommending genetic testing to assess risk for disease, physicians need to consider whether knowledge about genetic susceptibility will alter patient management.

Health Behavior↗