A new study finds that many people with cancer, over sixty-five percent according to this particular study, said they would be interested in attending a support group. However, only a small minority actually join one.

Study participants said that they wanted practical medical information promptly after diagnosis and about twice as many wanted medical information over emotional support. Eight-two percent wanted groups to include discussion of spiritual issues, however, Allen Sherman, Ph.D, the lead author from the University of Arkansas, said that this may be influenced by the fact that the participants mostly came from the Bible Belt.

The study also found that people prefer drop-in groups as needed and do not mind if the group contains people with different types of cancer.

Recent studies suggest that support groups do not increase survival time, but they do improve coping skills and mood. As always, with any sort of support or counselling, it is wise to use your gut. If you're getting something out of it, that is great. If not, it's best to move on and find the support you need elsewhere.

A new study from David Spiegel, MD at Stanford, shows that support groups don't extend the lives of women with metastatic breast cancer. These results are different from other findings by Spiegel that group therapy did extend overall survival.

However, this new research does show that support groups improve quality of life, including improving mood and improving pain control. While no overall survival benefit was found, a survival benefit for a group of patients with an aggressive form of breast cancer who attended group therapy was shown.

Spiegel's work on support groups is well-known and when he started his research on support groups in the 1970s, virtually no cancer patients were in support groups.

According to a new study in the June 15th issue of CANCER, use of support groups varies widely by cancer type and there are few referrals to such groups by physicians.

Dr. Jason Owen of Loma Linda University and his team found that about one in four cancer patients did join a support group. Patients with blood malignancies and breast cancer were more likely to join a support group than those with lung and skin cancers. Predictors of use include female gender, Caucasian race, higher education level, and symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Dr. Owen concludes, "This study sheds light on which individuals with cancer use these services. Assistance in identifying and accessing support groups should be a standard of care for all patients receiving curative, follow-up, or palliative care for cancer."

Hopefully, physicians and other healthcare providers working in oncology will continue to improve their efforts to help patients and caregivers find support groups in their communities.