Abstract：
BACKGROUND: Establishing causal relationships is essential in biology and medicine. However, various notions of causality have been operationalized at different times in various fields of the life and health sciences. While this is expected from a history or sociology of science point of view, as different accounts may correspond to what is valued in terms of establishing causal relationships at different times as well as in different fields of biology and medicine, this may come as a surprise for a present-day actor in those fields. If, over time, causal accounts have not been fully dismissed, then they are likely to invite some form of, potentially salutary, explanatory pluralism.
CONCLUSIONS: In the decades following WWII, psychosomatic medicine could propose that psychological factors cause somatic diseases. But today, most medicine has to meet the standard of a randomized clinical trial before any causal relationship can be proposed. Instead, in biology, mechanisms seem to be the most-valued causal discourse to explain how phenomena of interest are brought about. Here, the focus will be on how psychoneuroimmunology, an interdisciplinary research field addressing interactions between the nervous system and immune system, and between behavior and health, has considered causal relationships between psychological factors and cancer.
CONCLUSIONS: When it comes to causal explanations of links between psychological factors and cancer, psychoneuroimmunology is invited to consider the question of the directionality of these links as well as what and how factors causally contribute to cancer.
CONCLUSIONS: In the decades following WWII, psychosomatic medicine could propose that psychological factors cause somatic diseases. But today, most medicine has to meet the standard of a randomized clinical trial before any causal relationship can be proposed. Instead, in biology, mechanisms seem to be the most-valued causal discourse to explain how phenomena of interest are brought about. Here, the focus will be on how psychoneuroimmunology, an interdisciplinary research field addressing interactions between the nervous system and immune system, and between behavior and health, has considered causal relationships between psychological factors and cancer.
CONCLUSIONS: When it comes to causal explanations of links between psychological factors and cancer, psychoneuroimmunology is invited to consider the question of the directionality of these links as well as what and how factors causally contribute to cancer.
摘要：
背景：建立因果关系在生物学和医学中至关重要。然而,在生命和健康科学的各个领域，各种因果关系的概念在不同的时间被实施。虽然从历史或科学社会学的角度来看这是可以预期的，因为不同的账户可能对应于在不同时间以及生物学和医学的不同领域建立因果关系的价值，对于当今这些领域的演员来说，这可能是一个惊喜。如果,随着时间的推移,因果关系还没有被完全驳回，然后他们可能会邀请某种形式的，可能有益的，解释性多元化。
结论：在二战后的几十年里，心身医学可以提出心理因素引起躯体疾病。但是今天,在提出任何因果关系之前，大多数药物必须符合随机临床试验的标准。相反，在生物学中,机制似乎是最有价值的因果话语来解释兴趣现象是如何产生的。这里,重点将是心理神经免疫学，涉及神经系统和免疫系统之间相互作用的跨学科研究领域，在行为和健康之间，考虑了心理因素与癌症之间的因果关系。
结论：当涉及到心理因素与癌症之间联系的因果解释时，请心理神经免疫学考虑这些联系的方向性问题，以及什么因素以及如何导致癌症。
结论：在二战后的几十年里，心身医学可以提出心理因素引起躯体疾病。但是今天,在提出任何因果关系之前，大多数药物必须符合随机临床试验的标准。相反，在生物学中,机制似乎是最有价值的因果话语来解释兴趣现象是如何产生的。这里,重点将是心理神经免疫学，涉及神经系统和免疫系统之间相互作用的跨学科研究领域，在行为和健康之间，考虑了心理因素与癌症之间的因果关系。
结论：当涉及到心理因素与癌症之间联系的因果解释时，请心理神经免疫学考虑这些联系的方向性问题，以及什么因素以及如何导致癌症。
