Are pretransplant psychological variables related to survival after bone marrow transplantation? A prospective study of 123 consecutive patients.

Few studies have investigated relationships between psychological variables and survival after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). There is some evidence that psychological variables play a role in the course of cancer, and also after BMT. The present study focused on relationships between psychological variables and survival after BMT, in addition to prognostic disease, treatment, and demographic variables. In a consecutive sample of 123 patients undergoing BMT between 1987 and 1992, psychological variables were assessed before BMT. None of the psychological variables was univariately related to survival when entered into a Cox proportional hazards model as continuous variables. When divided into four groups of equal size, based on the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, low self-esteem tended to be related to shorter survival. In multivariate analyses, none of the psychosocial variables measured before BMT was significant. Our data do not support the view that psychological variables influence survival after BMT.