Overview and Goals

The Biobehavioral Medicine Program conducts basic, clinical, and translational research across a broad front of cancer-relevant issues. Specific areas range from investigation of mechanistic aspects and clinical implications of stress and stress-related molecular changes on immune function to issues related to cancer prevention, including smoking cessation, weight loss, and other aspects of long-term behavior change that can reduce cancer risk. Translation from research to enhancements of quality of life among patients in active treatment and palliative care is a program priority.

The overall goals of the Program are to identify biobehavioral variables that affect cancer etiology and course, to isolate and alter modifiable variance in these disease parameters, and to enhance patient care and outcomes such as well-being, adherence, adjustment, and medical outcomes. BMOP focuses on stress and the role of cancer-specific and general stress on behaviors (such as participation in early detection / surveillance programs and maintenance of long-term risk behavior change) and on immunological, inflammatory, and molecular changes that are associated with variability in cancer etiology. In addition, Program members work in other important areas, including:

  1. mechanisms underlying the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for cancer patients (which will allow more effective patient intervention),
  2. reasons for the resistance to tobacco cessation and the related role of obesity (towards the development of effective risk-management interventions),
  3. patient and survivorship issues, including intervening variables such as socioeconomic status, minority status, social support, or adherence to treatment prevention, or surveillance protocols among cancer survivors, and identification of effects on medical and psychosocial outcomes, and
  4. study of neurocognitive and neuropsychological changes secondary to cancer, cancer therapies, and chemopreventive agents.