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Research Interests
My primary area of research is psychosocial aspects of cancer, including
psychosocial risk factors for developing cancer, the impact of being at
high genetic risk of developing cancer, and the psychosocial factors that
affect the course and outcome of cancer for patients and their carers.
Current research projects include close collaboration with the Kathleen
Cuningham Consortium for Research into Familial breast cancer (kConFab)
and the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS). My primary collaborators
include Professor Phyllis Butow, Professor
Christopher Tennant, Dr Penny Webb.
Current Studies
kConFab Psychosocial Study: Psychosocial factors in the development
of breast cancer in women from high risk breast cancer families.
This ten year prospective cohort study of Australian and New Zealand
women currently unaffected by cancer who are from high risk breast/ovarian
cancer families in collaboration with kConFab. The primary aim is to
establish the role of psychosocial variables, in particular life event
stress, depression, optimism, and social support, in the development
of breast cancer. A secondary aim is to identify predictors of women
who undergo prophylactic (risk reducing) surgery and predictors of the
long term psychological outcomes of women of prophylactic surgery. Phyllis
Butow is the chief investigator of the study. Other investigators include
Chris Tennant, Kathy Tucker, Bettina Meiser, Kelly-Anne Phillips, Ian
Hickie, Sing Kai Lo, Margaret Charles.
AOCS Quality of Life Study: Quality of Life and psychosocial
predictors of outcome of women with ovarian cancer and their carers.
This prospective study examines the role of quality of life, psychological
distress, social support, and unmet support needs in women with ovarian
cancer and their primary caregivers in relation to disease progression
and Quality of Life, in collaboration with the Australian Ovarian Cancer
Study. Other investigators include Phyllis Butow, Penny Webb, Chris
Tennant, Dorota Gertig, Sing Kai Lo.
Outcomes of primary carers of women with ovarian cancer following
bereavement.
This study follows the carers from the AOCS Quality of Life Study following
the death of women with ovarian cancer, with the aim to identify those
at risk of a worse outcome, in terms of psychological health, physical
health, and grief. Two potentially protective factors, namely ‘a
good death’ and palliative care, are a major focus. Other investigators
include Phyllis Butow, Liz Lobb, Linda Kristjanson, Josephine Clayton,
Margaret Charles.
Publications
- Price M, Butow P, Kirsten L. Support and training needs of cancer
support group leaders: a review. Psych-Oncology, In Press.
- Kirsten L, Butow P, Price M, Hobbs K, Sundquist K. Who helps the leaders?
Difficulties experienced by cancer support group leaders. Supportive
Care in Care, In Press.
- Butow P, Meiser B, Price M, Bennett B, Tucker K, Davenport T, Hickie
I & the Kathleen Cuningham Consortium for Research into Familial
Breast Cancer Psychosocial Group. Psychological morbidity in women at
increased risk of developing breast cancer: A controlled study. Psycho-Oncology,
2005; 14: 196-203.
- Phillips K-A, Butow PN, Stewart AE, Chang J-H, Weideman PC, Price
MA, McLachlan S-A, kConFab Investigators, Lindeman GJ, McKay MJ, Friedlander
ML, Hopper JL. Predictors of participation in clinical and psychosocial
follow up of the kConFab breast cancer family study. Familial Cancer,
2005; 4: 105-113.
Meiser B, Butow PN, Price M, Bennett B, Berry G, Tucker K & the
kConFab Psychosocial Group. Attitudes to prophylactic strategies in
Australian women at increased risk for breast cancer. Journal of
Womens Health 12 769-78 (2003).
- Lim J, Maclurcan M, Price M, Bennett B, Butow P, & the kConFab
Psychosocial Group. Short and long-term impact of receiving genetic
mutation results in women at increased risk for hereditary breast cancer.
Journal of Genetic Counseling, 2004; 13(2): 115-33.
- Price MA, Tennant CC, Butow PN, Smith RC, Kennedy SJ, Kossoff MB,
Dunn SM. The Role of Psychosocial Factors in the Development of Breast
Cancer: Part 2 - Life Event Stressors, Social Support, Defense Style
and Emotional Control and their interactions. Cancer, 2001;
91(4): 686-697.
- Price MA, Tennant CC, Smith RC, Butow PN, Kennedy SJ, Kossoff MB,
Dunn SM. The Role of Psychosocial Factors in the Development of Breast
Cancer: Part 1 - The Cancer Prone Personality. Cancer, 2001;
91(4): 679-685.
- Butow PN, Hiller JE, Price MA, Thackway SV, Kricker A, Tennant CC.
Epidemiological evidence for a relationship between life events, coping
style and personality factors in the development of breast cancer. Journal
of Psychosomatic Research, 2000; 49: 169-181.
- Price MA, Tennant CC, Smith RC, Butow PN, Kennedy SJ, Kossoff MB,
Dunn SM. Predictors of breast cancer in women recalled following screening.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery, 1999; 69: 639-646.
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