An active social life may help patients fight cancer, according to a new study that links the stress of relationships to reductions in the size of cancerous growths, The London Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
Experiments found that moving cancer-stricken mice from private lodgings into more spacious shared accommodations led to an average reduction in the size of tumors by 77 percent.
After three weeks, 5 percent of mice in the experiments showed no evidence of cancer.
Matthew During, of Ohio State University, told the newspaper the findings suggest cancer treatments (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,596305,00.html#) should focus on living a "richer life, socially and physically" rather than minimizing stress.
"This paper really suggests if we look at people more in terms of their perceptions of disease, their social interactions and environment, we could realize a profound influence on cancer," he said.
The study was published in the medical journal Cell.