Comparison of Personality Traits in Breast and Lymphoma Cancer Patients with Healthy People

About causes of cancers, different etiologies have been proposed. One possible etiology for cancer can be personality characteristics of individuals. The aim of this study was compare personality traits of breast cancer and lymphoma patients with healthy people. Ninety patients with breast cancer and lymphoma who referred to a cancer treatment center and oncology clinics, aged 18-50 years with at least secondary school level of education, enrolled in this study (case group). Exclusion criteria were psychologic disorders in the last year, history of admission in hospital due to pschologic disorders in the last year, epilepsy, brain tumors and brain metastases. Demographic data was recorded and the NEO Five factor Inventory was completed by patients. In addition, the questionnaire was completed by 90 age, gender and educational level-matched subjects from the patients’ relatives (control group). Data were statistically analyzed. 93.3% of cases and 85.5% of controls were women. Mean scores of extraversion (P < 0.001) and openness to experience (P < 0.001) were significantly lower and conscientiousness (P = 0.018) was significantly higher in cancer patients compared to controls. The mean score of neuroticism and agreeableness was not significantly different between the two groups. It is likely that introversion, conscientiousness and lack of openness to experiences leads to experiencing more stress and tension and can be considered as underlying causes of cancer. Training the proper ways to deal with stress and problem solving, and training communication skills may be useful in preventing and fighting against cancer.