Stress management techniques have been found to have a surprisingly significant impact in improving the long-term survival of women diagnosed with breast cancer in a new National Cancer Institute-funded study.

Women taught to manage stress early in their breast cancer treatment show greater length of survival and longer time until the disease recurred over eight to 15 years after their original diagnosis, according to researchers with the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Lead researcher Michael Antoni and his research team HAD previously found that cognitive-behavioral stress management lowers distress and inflammation in the cells of women with breast cancer during and after treatment. The technique involves muscle relaxation and meditation-like deep breathing, as well as skills to change negative thoughts and improve coping strategies.

The latest study, published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, found breast cancer patients who received CBSM in the weeks after surgery had improved survival and a greater "disease-free interval" until recurrence.

"Our ongoing work is examining whether the effects of stress management on depressive symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers during the first year of treatment are linked to longer-term disease recurrence and survival," Antoni said.