must be drawn cautiously and must remain stated as suggestive

of a relationship. From the viewpoint of two major

reviewers (Fox, 1978; Surawicz et al., 1976), the concept of

a specific carcinogenic personality has not been clearly

supported. According to Levy (1982), there is no direct

evidence for the development of cancer in animal models or

man associated with natural life trauma. And, as Wellisch

and Yager (1983) pointed out, "In patients who evidence

emotional or psychological developmental conflicts, all that

can be said is that such findings are associative, but not

that the findings cause cancer" (p. 149).

 From their thorough review of animal and human studies

relating stress and cancer, Sklar and Anisman (1981) con-

cluded that despite the problems, these studies provisionally

suggest that certain psychosocial variables are associated

with higher cancer incidence. Among the variables frequently

noted are loss of a significant relationship or major life

change, depression and hopelessness, and restricted hostile

or aggressive expression.


 Psychological Variables and the Progression of Cancer


 Efforts to establish a relationship between psycho-

social variables and the development of cancer provide a

historical reference to the direction taken by more recent,