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The notion that psychological factors affect cancer has been present throughout history. Stress is an important factor that dysregulates immune function. Considerable work over the past decade has shown how psychological processes can impact pathways implicated in cancer progression. Furthermore, immune system dysregulation may have major implications for fatigue and depressive symptoms among cancer survivors. In this chapter, we first review evidence linking psychosocial factors to cancer incidence and progression. Then, we examine underlying biological mechanisms that may contribute to these links. Finally, we explore how dysregulated immune function contributes to cancer survivors’ quality of life.

There are presently seven known and characterized human herpesviruses: herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), HSV-2, cytomegalovirus (CMV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), Epstein—Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6), and HHV-7. Recently, another human herpesvirus has been linked to Kaposi’s sarcoma and designated HHV-8; studies are still under way to characterize this virus.

Many behavioral scientists planning to conduct research on HIV infection and AIDS may be wondering whether to include immunological measurement in your project. Generally, I recommend that you do not.

There are convergent animal and human data implicating stress as a risk factor in the development and duration of primary herpesvirus infections (Rasmussen et al., 1957; Gross, 1972; Kasl et al., 1979). There is also evidence that more distressed individuals have more frequent recurrences of herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) lesions after the primary lesion (Luborsky et al., 1976; Goldmeir and Johnson, 1982). Competency of the cellular immune response is thought to be a critical factor in limiting primary herpesvirus infections as well as in the subsequent control of latent virus (Glaser and Gotlieb-Stematsky, 1982). This chapter reviews literature on the psychosocial modulation of herpesvirus infections in conjunction with related data on the psychological mediation of cellular immune function.

There is increasing evidence that the central nervous system can influence the functioning of the immune system, the body’s defense against infectious and malignant disease (Ader, 1981). In this chapter we will review data linking the quality of interpersonal relationships with immunocompetence. We suggest that these data provide some insight into possible mechanisms through which interpersonal relationships might influence morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases, and possibly cancer.

During the last two decades there has been ample documentation of the relationship between an accumulation of negative major life events and subsequent health impairments. Although there are a number of methodological problems with many of these studies, the consistency and pervasiveness of the effects are striking1,2. However, throughout most of this literature the size of the relationship between the number of negative life events and subsequent illness has been modest, with most studies showing correlations in the range of.301. In fact, most individuals who experience major life events do not become ill, or they only experience relatively short illness episodes that are frequently quite comparable to those experienced by their population agemates.