Hypnosis in Women with Breast Cancer: Its Effects on Cytokines

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of hypnosis on the cytokine levels of women with breast cancer during chemotherapy. Patients with a recent breast cancer diagnosis were assigned to either a control group (n = 20) or to a hypnosis group (n = 20). The control group received standard medical care, while the hypnosis group received 24 sessions of hypnosis over 6 months as an adjuvant therapy to standard medical care. Three blood samples were obtained, one before the initiation of chemotherapy, the second a month after beginning treatment, and the third at the end of treatment. At the end of chemotherapy treatment, the control group showed significantly higher levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and granulocyte colony stimulation factor (G-CSF) compared to the hypnosis group. Stabilized G-CSF and TNF-α levels during chemotherapy in the hypnosis group could be considered as beneficial because high levels of these cytokines have been associated with increased levels of tumor growth and metastasis in cancer patients.