Association between prayer activity, inflammation, and survival in advanced cancer patients (ACPs): A preliminary study.

e19602 Background: Prayers represent an important coping strategy among ACPs. The Religion Practice Questionnaire (RPQ) is a self-reported measure of religiosity validated in the Brazilian population, and includes a question assessing prayer activity. In this cross sectional prospective study, we determined the association among prayer activity, inflammation and survival in ACPs. Methods: Consecutive ACPs presenting for initial consultation at our Palliative Care Outpatient Clinic between March and December 2011 were enrolled. RPQ was administered by a research nurse, and consists of 15 items rated on a 5-point Likertscale (0=none, 5=very much). High prayer score (HPS) was defined as >3/5 for question 11 ("I make personal prayers – spontaneous communications with God"). Inflammatory markers included white blood cell (WBC), albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP). Correlation analysis was performed using Spearman test. Survival was calculated from study enrolment until death, and analyzed with log rank test a...