Retraction notice to "Creative novation behaviour therapy as a prophylactic treatment for cancer and coronary heart disease: Part I-Description of treatment" [Behaviour Research and Therapy 29 (1) (1991) 1-16].

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal).

Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis of Survival and Psychosomatic Self-regulation from Published Prospective Controlled Cohort Studies for Long-term Therapy of Breast Cancer Patients with a Mistletoe Preparation (Iscador).

Mistletoe preparations such as Iscador are in common use as complementary/anthroposophic medications for many cancer indications, particularly for solid cancers. The efficacy is still discussed controversially. This paper presents an individual patient data meta-analysis of all published prospective matched-pair studies with breast cancer patients concerned with long-term application of a complementary/anthroposophic therapy with the mistletoe preparation Iscador.

Randomized and non-randomized prospective controlled cohort studies in matched pair design for the long-term therapy of corpus uteri cancer patients with a mistletoe preparation (Iscador).

Background: Mistletoe preparations such as Iscador are in common use as complementary/anthroposophic medications for many cancer indications, particularly for solid cancers. Efficacy of this complementary therapy is still discussed controversially.

Objective: Does the long-term therapy with Iscador show any effect on survival or psychosomatic self-regulation of patients with corpus uteri cancer?

Patients And Methods: Prospective recruitment and long-term follow-up in the following 4 controlled cohort studies.

Prospective controlled cohort studies on long-term therapy of ovairian cancer patients with mistletoe (Viscum album L.) extracts iscador.

Background: Mistletoe extracts such as Iscador are commonly used as complementary/anthroposophic medications for many cancer indications, particularly for solid cancers. The efficacy of this complementary therapy is still controversial.

Objective: Does long-term therapy with mistletoe extracts Iscador show any effect on survival and psychosomatic self-regulation of patients with ovarian cancer?

Patients And Methods: Prospective recruitment and long-term follow-up in controlled cohort studies.

Prospective controlled cohort studies on long-term therapy of cervical cancer patients with a mistletoe preparation (Iscador).

Background: Mistletoe preparations such as Iscador are commonly used in complementary medication for many cancer indications, particularly solid cancers. The efficacy of this complementary therapy is still controversial.

Objective: Does longterm therapy with Iscador show any effect on survival, tumor progression and psychosomatic self-regulation of patients with cervical cancer?

Patients And Methods: Prospective recruitment and long-term follow-up was carried out in 3 controlled cohort studies: In a randomized matched-pair study (19 pairs), cervical cancer patients with distant metastases and no mistletoe therapy were matched for prognostic factors.

Randomised and non-randomised prospective controlled cohort studies in matched-pair design for the long-term therapy of breast cancer patients with a mistletoe preparation (Iscador): a re-analysis.

Objective: Expanded presentation and re-analysis of previously published data of randomized and non-randomized studies on mistletoe therapy with breast cancer patients [3, 4]. The main question is: Does a re-analysis confirm the previously reported effects of prolonging the survival of patients with breast cancer under long-term application of a complementary/anthroposophic therapy with the European mistletoe preparation Iscador?

Data Sources: (1) Randomised matched-pairs study: Breast cancer patients with only lymphatic metastases (17 pairs) that had never used mistletoe therapy were matched for several prognostic factors. By paired random allocation, one patient of a pair received a suggestion of mistletoe therapy to be applied by the attending physician.

Prospective controlled cohort studies on long-term therapy of breast cancer patients with a mistletoe preparation (Iscador).

Background: Mistletoe preparations such as Iscador (Weleda, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany) are commonly used in complementary and alternative / anthroposophic medicine for many cancer indications, particularly for solid cancers. Efficacy of this complementary therapy is still controversial.

Objective: Does long-term therapy with Iscador show any effect on survival, tumor progression and psychosomatic self-regulation of patients with breast cancer?

Patients And Methods: Prospective recruitment and long-term follow-up of two controlled cohort studies: (1) Randomized matched-pair study (38 pairs): breast cancer patients without any recurrences or metastases and no mistletoe therapy were matched for prognostic factors.

The interaction between risk factors and self-regulation in the development of chronic diseases.

Most established risk factors for chronic disease incidence and mortality from cancer, such as cigarette smoke, alcohol drinking, occupational and environmental hazards and dietary factors, have been shown to vary in their importance in terms of relative risk. In studies which addressed the individual level of behaviour, but also coping and self-regulation, a strong modifying effect of long-lasting hopelessness and helplessness has been found to depend on personality. Autonomy and healthful self-regulation have been defined as the regulation of behaviour in those activities which are carried out in the physical and social environment and lead to stimulated feeling, pleasure, perception of inner and social security, and competence.

Use of Iscador, an extract of European mistletoe (Viscum album), in cancer treatment: prospective nonrandomized and randomized matched-pair studies nested within a cohort study.

Context: In anthroposophical medicine, total extracts of Viscum album (mistletoe) have been developed to treat cancer patients. The oldest such product is Iscador. Although Iscador is regarded as a complementary cancer therapy, it is the most commonly used oncological drug in Germany.

Interaction of psychosocial and physical risk factors in the causation of mammary cancer, and its prevention through psychological methods of treatment.

Some 8059 healthy women (mean age 58 years) were studied in 1973 with the aim of establishing the presence or absence of a variety of physical and psychological risk factors for mammary cancer. Mortality was established in 1988. factor predictors were highly significant.

Alcohol consumption and health: synergistic interaction with personality.

In this study, 6,386 males and 5,990 females, with a mean age of 55 years, constituting a random sample, were administered questionnaires by interviewers relating to amount of self-regulation and drinking status. They were then followed up over a 20-yr. period, and health status (living well, chronically ill, or deceased) was ascertained.

Method of test administration as a factor in test validity: the use of a personality questionnaire in the prediction of cancer and coronary heart disease.

This study examines the predictive accuracy of four different methods of administration of a questionnaire designed to predict cancer and coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy probands. The method of administration uses the establishment of trust and the explanation of questions as variables in all four possible combinations, i.e.

Prediction of cancer and coronary heart disease as a function of method of questionnaire administration.

We have tested the hypothesis in this study that different methods of administering a questionnaire produce differential approximations to truthful admission of undesirable personality traits and behaviours. Four different methods of administration produced different levels of trust and understanding, using the current prediction among healthy subjects of death by cancer or coronary heart disease 13 years later as the criterion. There were significant differences in the accuracy of the predictions, depending crucially on the method of administration of the questionnaires.

Personality, stress, and motivational factors in drinking as determinants of risk for cancer and coronary heart disease.

Alcohol consumption is a well-known risk factor for cancer, coronary heart disease (CHD), and various other diseases. It is here suggested that motivational factors may be important in mediating any effects of drinking on health. In particular, the hypothesis was tested that drinking to drown one's sorrows (S-type) was much more a risk factor than pleasure drinking (P-type).

Personality, stress, smoking, and genetic predisposition as synergistic risk factors for cancer and coronary heart disease.

Risk factors for cancer have been found in the past to act synergistically in a number of studies. However, these studies were not always designed to test the hypothesis of synergism, and have sometimes failed to equate for important variables, which might influence the results. The present study tests the hypothesis that psychosocial variables and physical ones (personality/stress, smoking, and genetic predisposition) interact in a synergistic fashion in the causation of lung cancer and coronary heart disease (CHD).

Coca-Cola, cancers, and coronaries: personality and stress as mediating factors.

A theory is presented relating the consumption of stimulant and depressant drugs to cancer and coronary heart disease, with stress/personality acting as an intermediary. The predictions from the theory that large-scale consumption of Coca-Cola would prevent cancer and promote coronary heart disease was tested and found to be supported by the results of a long-scale prospective study. Results replicate those from an earlier study using coffee as a stimulant drug.

Creative novation behaviour therapy as a prophylactic treatment for cancer and coronary heart disease: Part II--Effects of treatment.

In this article we consider the effectiveness of creative novation behaviour therapy in preventing cancer and coronary heart disease in disease-prone probands, and also its effectiveness in extending life for patients suffering from terminal cancer. In all cases, suitably matched controls are provided as part of the general methodology, and results are reported to testify to the effectiveness of the therapy, whether administered a long-term individual therapy, group therapy, or bibliotherapy plus short-term individual treatment. We also consider the negative effects of psychoanalysis on outcome.

Creative novation behaviour therapy as a prophylactic treatment for cancer and coronary heart disease: Part I--Description of treatment.

This paper describes a novel method of behaviour therapy applied to cancer-prone and coronary heart disease-prone patients in a prophylactic manner, to reduce the probability of their dying of cancer or coronary heart disease. The treatment can also be applied to patients already suffering from cancer in order to prolong their lives. The methods used are described in considerable detail, together with the rationale leading to their adoption.

Changes in degree of sclerosis as a function of prophylactic treatment in cancer-prone and CHD-prone probands.

One-hundred and ninety-two probands were selected on the basis of personality questionnaires as being cancer-prone (100) or CHD-prone (92). They were then randomly divided into a control and a treatment group, the latter receiving a special kind of behaviour therapy attempting to change the personality patterns in the direction of a healthier, more autonomous personality. Follow-up after 10 and 13 years disclosed significantly lower death rates in probands receiving prophylactic treatment than in controls.

Personality, smoking, and alcohol as synergistic risk factors for cancer of the mouth and pharynx.

34 male patients suffering from cancer of the mouth or pharynx were studied with reference to their personality type, smoking and drinking habits, and compared with a healthy sample of 1706 men. The three risk factors showed a strong tendency to be related to cancer only in combination, adding new evidence to the theory that risk factors in cancer act in a synergistic fashion.