Overview
- The PSY-CA consortium published its analysis Monday in Cancer, reporting no association between measured psychosocial factors and overall cancer incidence.
- The study harmonized individual data from 22 cohorts, covering 421,799 people, more than 4.3 million person-years, and 35,319 cancer cases.
- Results showed no increased risk for breast, prostate, colorectal, or alcohol-related cancers tied to perceived social support, general distress, neuroticism, relationship status, or recent loss.
- Three factors related to lung cancer showed higher risk before full adjustment, with most links shrinking after accounting for smoking and family cancer history while the signal for recent loss remained relatively robust.
- Authors noted single-time-point measures and a narrow 12‑month bereavement definition as limits and said they will test whether health behaviors mediate risks and examine cancer mortality next.