This document summarizes a study on analyzing the handwriting of cancer patients and how it correlates to their clinical status and prognosis. Over 1400 patients were examined and their handwriting was analyzed and compared to 280 non-cancer patients. Several significant differences were found in the handwriting of cancer patients, including irregular pressure, twisted letters, trembling strokes and meaningless dots. Statistical analysis found these features were present in 75% of cancer patients and 25% of non-cancer patients. The conclusions were that handwriting analysis can be a useful, non-invasive technique to help monitor cancer patients and predict prognosis, with patients showing poorer handwriting having shorter survival times.
1. HANDWRITING ANALYSIS
IN CANCER PATIENTS
CLINICAL-RADIOLOGICAL AND
GRAPHOLOGICAL CORRELATION
Francesco Matozza M.D. - Consultant Oncologist
Rawson and Rivadavia Hospitals , Buenos Aires
Prof. Adriana Ortiz – Consultant graphologist,
Handwriting expert. Instituto Binet- Buenos Aires
Daniel Levy M.D. , Chief Department of Oncology
Rivadavia Hospital , Buenos Aires
2. Introduction
• Cancer is an illness that has a number of causes. Whether a person
develops a form of cancer or not may depend on one or more of
these causal factors:
• Hereditary
• Environmental
• Behaviour
• Psycho-socio-emotional
• These factors can be present at any one time and yet the person
may not develop the illness.
• The study of one’s personal handwriting can show the relationship
between his central nervous system and the conscious/ unconscious
state of his mind. Therefore it is possible to hypothesize that any
changes in a person’s frame of mind may be reflecting don his/her
handwriting.
3. Our aim
• To evaluate the use of the ‘graphological analysis of the
cancer patient’s personality
• Predict the patient’s attitude and behaviour during cancer
treatment
• Establish the relationship between the graphological analysis
of a person’s handwriting and the patient’s prognosis
By using statistical analysis
Rational for the study
• An early diagnosis of metastasis or relapse it is important to
establish an adequate treatment
in cancer patients.
• Handwriting analysis can help oncologist showing organs
dysfunction :(lungs, genitourinary tract, Gynaecological, spine,
gastro intestinal tract, liver, etc.)
4. Material and Method
• From August 2004 to March 2007, 1400 cases were examined.
280 oncological patients’ (with tumours including breast, lung, ovary, uterus,
colon, melanoma, brain, lymphoma, leukaemia, prostrate, thyroid, etc.) and
280 persons without the illness, without distinction of sex and in an age range
of between 35 and 70 years were evaluated.
. The patients were at different stages of their illness from the clinical and
radiological point of view as well as from their handwriting stage.
We conducted semi-structured interviews and asked for handwriting samples
carried out at the time of the interviews as well as samples from before the
onset of the illness.
We also collated data from Mammograms, ultrasound, CT scan, bone scan,
MRI. PET, Markers, etc.
6. Findings
• From the study of the person's handwriting we identified a number of
factors more frequently present in the patients group than in the
control group. These differences are statistically significant and
reliable.
• Some of the characteristics identified in their handwriting were not
related to the type of cancer present: these characteristics were
descendents, variable pressure, torsions, bilateral eaten, twisting,
brisement, augmented angles and changes in the tracing.
• Percentage of studies carried out
• Of 4801 graphological variables carried out, 3585 belong to the
group of persons suffering from cancer and 1246 to the control
group. Thus we can achieve a 75% for the cancer patients and
25% for the control group.
7. FEATURE WITH CANCER WITHOUT CANCER
1) Direction. Falling lines or foxtails. 230 73
2) Pressure: irregular in all aspects. 213 78
3) Dimension: Narrow between letters, Inhibited and 134 45
suspended.
4) Twisted and broken forms, especially in ascenders 246 100
and descenders with spasmodic writing.
5) Trembling strokes, closed or congested. Tremors 196 61
Hard to see with the naked eye.
6) Meaningless and unnecessary dots. 145 61
7) Strokes rigid in part or total. Squaring. 207 61
8) Angular handwriting. 207 100
9) Fireplace. 235 84
10) Triangular movements, especially in the ovals. 140 28
11) Jagged -edged on two sides. 274 11
12) Middle zone always with extras, mainly ovals. 257 84
13) Movement direction: regressive and/or mixed. 150 78
14) Letters and/or Word endings missing or suspended. 218 90
15) Wide starting stroke comes from lower zone to the 134 39
left.
16) Paraph circles. 123 22
17) Stroke that crosses out signature for no reason. 151 73
18) Lower zone crossed out with paraph for no reason. 185 50
19 19) Angular paraph to the left. 140 78
TOTAL NUMBER OF THESE FEATURES 3585 1216
NOTED
25. CONCLUSIONS
• From the graphological point of view we found that in this type
of patient, his/her handwriting showed elements of change
consistent with the difficulties they were encountering, struggling
to adapt to the physical changes caused by the illness and the
treatment, as well as their emotions.
• For these reasons we believe that cancer patients should be
given some form of psychotherapy treatment that would help them
with the adaptation of their new condition.
• The analysis of a patient's handwriting proved to be a useful,
economic and non- invasive technique that can help cancer patients
in their follow up and treatment.
• This handwriting analysis is very accurate and reliable predicting
factor of the disease It can benefit the patients to get a better follow
up and the most appropriate treatment. We hope this test it will
become standard procedure in cancer patients
26. GENERAL FINDINGS
MEDICAL CONCLUSION
• From the statistical analysis cancer patients were divided
in two groups: those with good prognosis and those with
poor prognosis.
• The well-being of this last group was followed up more
frequently; clinical and radiological studies were carried
out in order to detect progression of the disease.
• Patients with poor prognosis had a shorter progression
period and shorter disease free survival period. They
needed more chemotherapy treatment, and
maintenance treatment.
27. References
Prof. Dr. Alfred Kanfer - Clínica Strang de New York –USA
Otras experiencias: Hospital for Joint Diseases, en el American Cancer
Society y Detroit Cancer Detection Center sobre 2500
casos(1959/61).USA.
Prof. Dr. Amado J. Ballandras - “Teoría de la Personalidad Integral”
Hospital Rivadavia.1971-Argentina.
Ducombs, Susana, ; Pepe,Héctor,; Kischbaum,Luis . “Sindromes
paraneoplasicos en la escritura y su utilizacion para la identificacion
documentologica” En 1987, fue presentado en Vancouver,
.
“Women`s health Weekly” - Annette L. Stanton, PhD, professor of
psychology Universisty of Kansas Lawrence. His results were published
in “The Journal of Clinical Oncology” (2002).
Doyharzabal, M. del C., Achinelli, Denigra C, y Koziner B, “La grafología
como auxiliar en la evaluación del comportamiento del paciente sometido
a trasplante de médula ósea”, Revista Oncología Clínica de Agosto del
2001
28. Acknowledgment:
We are indebted to:
Prof. Pacifico Cristofanelli, Urbino University, Italy;
Prof. Juan Luis Allende del Campo, President of Spanish Society
of Graphopsicology.
Prof. Nigel Bradley,University of Westminster, London, UK
for their continuing support and encouragement as well as for reviewing
the presentation of our research in English, Italian and Spanish.