ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some of the evidence that links stress to the responsiveness of the immune system. It focuses on the most part on possible psychological antecedents of cancer. In addition, arguments of a link between cancer and psychological disposition have a substantial historical pedigree. General theories of cancer development, that purport to account for many cancerous growths, have been put forward. Most relevant to the tack is the idea that the starting point for cancer is genetic defects within cells which prompt mutations in cell development. While the search for psychological factors in human cancer can be regarded as a search for gold, so often the product has been much baser metal. More probably, though, stress has its impact on subsequent mutagenic development. With regard to the issue of marital quality among the married women, the researchers found that the poorer the self-reported quality of the marriage, the less the immune reaction to an introduced antigen.
