BEHAVIORAL ACTIVATION IN CANCER: REVIEW OF TREATMENTS AND EVIDENCES

Objective: To analyze published studies that investigated the usefulness of behavioral activation in the treatment of cancer patients. Method: A systematic review in the Web of Science (2004-2014). Results: The articles reviewed were published by two groups of researchers. Patients who received interventions based on behavioral activation showed better emotional state, physical condition and quality of life. Differences were detected between the work of both groups. Conclusions: Behavioral activation is useful for the prevention and treatment of emotional disorders in cancer patients. However, the heterogeneity and limitations of the studies require the development of new studies allowing to know which characteristics of the patients and / or the intervention would improve results.