Research Updates
ONE Research Foundation
Research Report: November 2011
Daniel A. Monti, M.D.
Introducing The Pilot Study
October 2011
The ONE Research Foundation is pleased to fund a new pilot study to assess the feasibility of a recently developed, multi-modal, mind-body intervention called Neuro Emotional Technique (Monti, et al., 2007) in patients who suffer from distressing recollections that may or may not be cancer-related.
This pilot study will help to validate the use of NET to help cancer survivors become less physiologically reactive to distressing stimuli and to become more capable of choosing alternative responses. Doing so could lead to healthier outcomes and potentially favorably impact modifiable risk factors for cancer recurrence.
Background/Rationale for This Research
Almost 1.5 million people in the United States alone are diagnosed with cancer each year (American Cancer Society, 2007). Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be a highly distressing event, so much so that the American Psychiatric Association (1994) categorizes such an experience as a traumatic stressor. A growing body of evidence suggests an association between emotional distress and negative health outcomes.
Among cancer patients, psychosocial factors such as stress (McGarvey, Canterbury, & Cohen, 1998), poor coping (Alter, et al., 1996), and perceptions of illness in relation to self and the outside world (Sterling & Eyer, 1981) can negatively impact health status. Preclinical data also suggests that high amounts of stress-related chemicals may increase tumor growth.
The number of cancer survivors in the United States has more than tripled in the past three decades, raising the importance of research-based treatments for the distress associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment (Monti, Sufian & Peterson, 2008).
Co-principal investigators:
Daniel A. Monti, M.D., and Andrew B. Newberg, M.D.
Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine and
Jefferson Kimmel Cancer Center
Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital
Philadelphia, PA, 19107
