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| Science & Technology |
| Stress Creates A 4-Fold Increase In Spread Of Cancer: Study |
| 2024-03-30 |
| [ET Via ZERO] A breakthrough discovery links stress hormones with a fourfold surge in the spread of cancer, shedding light on why patients under severe stress often have lower survival rates. "There’s probably very few situations that are as stressful as being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing cancer treatment," Mikala Egeblad, cancer researcher and senior author of the study, told The Epoch Times. Understanding the stress—cancer link may open up new ways to protect patients from the adverse effects of stress as part of cancer care. An Accidental Discovery Prompts More Research The team of scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) found that glucocorticoids—a type of stress hormone—play a role in creating a metastasis-friendly environment. The Egeblad lab, which relocated to Johns Hopkins University, studies how the communication between tumors and the immune system affects tumor growth and metastasis in mice. Researchers discovered the connection accidentally, noticing faster tumor growth in mice they had unintentionally stressed by a change in housing. The phenomenon prompted further research on chronic stress exposure and how it can encourage the spread of cancer, according to first author Xue-Yan He, who was a postdoctoral fellow at CSHL and is now an assistant professor at the Washington University School of Medicine. Ms. He investigated this connection with a mice study that mimicked chronic stress, leading to startling observations: an increase in tumor lesions and up to a fourfold surge in the spread of cancer. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |