Imus Said Stress May Have Provoked Cancer

March 17, 2009— -- Radio host Don Imus wondered aloud whether stress had contributed to his prostate cancer diagnosis.

"I think it was all the stress that caused this," he said Monday on his talk show.

But at least one doctor said, while stress may have an effect on cancer, it's not a cause.

"I am very confident we have no studies that show that stress is the sole cause of cancer, but stress can interfere with a person's ability to deal with cancer," said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society. "The only risk that stress plays, in my experience and in scientific literature, is it sometimes makes it more difficult for someone to deal with the disease and actually get good therapy for it."

The 68-year-old Imus made the announcement about his prostate cancer diagnosis Monday on his morning show and said he's confident he'll have a full recovery.

Since stress does depress the immune system, it is important to manage it, according to doctors.

"Everything somebody can do as far as meditation, prayer, yoga, exercise -- all those help prevent the recurrence of cancer," said Dr. Mitchell Gaynor of Gaynor Integrative Oncology

in New York City.

The veteran radio personality said he struggled with the idea of revealing his battle to the public and added he was surprised by the diagnosis because he had been following a healthy diet for the last decade.

His lifestyle includes regular exercise and a doctor-designed diet. With a stage 2 diagnosis, Imus' chances of survival are high.

"The curability rate is high," Brawley said.

Imus said he's spoken with prostate cancer survivors former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. He said he talked to them about an issue his doctors were reluctant to discuss -- how the treatment would affect his sex life.

"The surgical procedures don't always result in sexual side effects, and if they do, they get better over a period of a month," Gaynor said.