Family Attitudes Reported in Youth as Potential Predictors of Cancer

The subjects of this prospective study were 1337 male former medical students registered in classes graduating in 1948-64. A family attitude questionnaire indicated a lack of closeness to parents by the future cancer group, compared with the healthy group. Family attitudes of the future mental illness/suicide group resembled those of the cancer group, while those of the essential hypertension & coronary heart disease groups were like those of the healthy group. (36 ref)