Religious belief as a coping strategy: an explorative trial in patients irradiated for head-and-neck cancer.

Purpose: To explore the role of religious belief in coping with disease symptoms and treatment-related side effects in patients with head-and-neck cancer under radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Prospectively collected data were used with a cohort of head-and-neck cancer patients treated by radiotherapy and epoetin beta or placebo within a double-blind multicenter trial. All patients were divided into believers and nonbelievers.