Hypnosis and cancer: host defences, quality of life and survival

In recent years it has become increasingly clear that the diagnosis and treatment of cancer are stressful experiences. Not surprisingly, therefore, high levels of psychiatric morbidity and psychological distress have been reported (Derogatis et al., 1983). There is now evidence, however, from prospective, randomized, controlled trials, that psychological interventions can enhance the quality of life of patients with cancer (see Meyer and Mark, 1995 for a meta‐analysis). In addition, psychological interventions, including hypnosis, can modulate the immune response in a way that might be relevant to the progression of malignant disease (Walker and Eremin, 1995).