Psychological treatment for cancer patients could help to boost survival rates, it has been suggested.
A recent study from the American Association for Cancer Research found that women with breast cancer who received psychological intervention to lower their stress levels, tended to have an increased chance of survivial.
The report concluded that the disruption caused by stress was likely to contribute towards poorer health outcomes.
Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK's head information nurse, commented: " It is important to remember that this study is small, and that on balance previous research that has looked into this issue have shown conflicting results."
"None the less, good psychological support can be extremely useful in helping people to cope during and after cancer treatment."
However, the research did not find a direct link between a woman's initial stress levels and the chance of her developing breast cancer in the first place.