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Can stress cause brain tumours


Links between private habits, psychological stress and brain cancer: a case-control pilot study in France

. 2011 Jun;103(2):307-16.

doi: 10.1007/s11060-010-0388-1. Epub 2010 Sep 11.

Cécilia Cabaniols  1 , Roch Giorgi, Olivier Chinot, Nabila Ferahta, Valérie Spinelli, Philippe Alla, Maryline Barrie, Marie-Pascale Lehucher-Michel

Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 EA3279, Evaluation Hospitalière et Santé Perçue, Université de la Méditerranée, et Unité de Consultation de Pathologie Professionnelle, Hôpital Timone Adultes, 264, rue Saint Pierre, 13385, Marseille Cedex 05, France.
  • PMID: 20835749
  • DOI: 10. 1007/s11060-010-0388-1

Cécilia Cabaniols et al. J Neurooncol. 2011 Jun.

. 2011 Jun;103(2):307-16.

doi: 10.1007/s11060-010-0388-1. Epub 2010 Sep 11.

Authors

Cécilia Cabaniols  1 , Roch Giorgi, Olivier Chinot, Nabila Ferahta, Valérie Spinelli, Philippe Alla, Maryline Barrie, Marie-Pascale Lehucher-Michel

Affiliation

  • 1 EA3279, Evaluation Hospitalière et Santé Perçue, Université de la Méditerranée, et Unité de Consultation de Pathologie Professionnelle, Hôpital Timone Adultes, 264, rue Saint Pierre, 13385, Marseille Cedex 05, France.
  • PMID: 20835749
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11060-010-0388-1

Abstract

Numerous studies have increasingly suggested that medical history and lifestyle factors could be involved in the increase of cancer risk in adults. The issue whether psychological factors can influence the development of cancer has been discussed for many years. In the field of brain cancer, psychological stress has not so far been investigated. We conducted a French case-control pilot study with 122 adult incident cases and 122 controls free of any cancer diagnosis, matched for age and gender, to investigate links between malignant primitive brain tumours (MPBT) and medical history, private habits and psychological stress. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires, and person-to-person interviews. To complete the psychological stress assessment, 100-mm visual analog scales were used. After adjustment for confounders, we found no significant effect of head trauma, aspartame, tobacco or alcohol consumption, place (rural or urban) of residence, sociodemographic data, and experience of psychological stress at work/home. Our results showed a significant association between MPBT risk and major life events over the past 5 years before diagnosis (OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.13-3.20), family histories of cancer (OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.12-3.22), fresh vegetable and fruit intake (OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.09-0.95), and skipped meals several times per week (OR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.16-0.77). The present study suggests the role of genetic factors in glioma risk, and also suggests that an acute and sudden psychological stress might influence MPBT appearance. Additional large clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings.

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Can stress cause cancer? | Cancer Research UK

This page provides information about stress and risk of cancer. If you have been diagnosed with cancer we have separate information on coping emotionally. 

 

No, being stressed doesn’t directly increase the risk of cancer.

The best quality studies have followed up many people for several years. They have found no evidence that those who are more stressed are more likely to get cancer. 

Some people wonder whether stress causes breast cancer. But overall, the evidence for this has been poor. And a large study of over 100,000 women in the UK in 2016 showed no consistent evidence between stress and breast cancer.

 

But how you cope with or manage stress can affect your health.

It’s very common to feel stressed, and it’s likely that everyone will feel stress at some point.

But people respond to stress in different ways. This can lead to changes in a person’s day to day routine that can impact their cancer risk.

For some, stressful times can make it more difficult to be healthy. Remember, 4 in 10 cancer cases could be prevented. Things to think about include:

 

Smoking

Do you only smoke, or smoke more when you are stressed? Remember, it’s never too late to get free stop smoking support.

 

Diet

Stress may change what and how much you eat. Having a healthy, balanced diet is a proven way to reduce cancer risk.

 

Alcohol

Do you drink alcohol when you’re stressed or more than you usually would? Don’t forget, the less alcohol you drink, the lower the risk of cancer.

 

Physical activity

Stress may affect how much you move or exercise during the day. But being more active can help to prevent cancer. What counts as exercise may surprise you.

 

How can I manage stress?

Feeling stressed is normal, but long periods of stress have been linked to high blood pressure and depression. If you’re struggling to cope with stress, it’s a good idea to speak to your doctor. 

You can find information and tips about coping with stress on the NHS and Mind websites.

 

There are many cancer myths, including stress, that haven’t been proven to cause cancer. However, there are proven causes of cancer, and things you can do to reduce your risk.

 

Heikkila K, Nyberg ST, Theorell T, et al. Work stress and risk of cancer: meta-analysis of 5700 incident cancer events in 116,000 European men and women. Bmj. 2013;346:f165.

Schoemaker MJ, Jones ME, Wright LB, et al. Psychological stress, adverse life events and breast cancer incidence: a cohort investigation in 106,000 women in the United Kingdom. Breast Cancer Res. 2016;18(1):72. doi:10.1186/s13058-016-0733-1.

 

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stress awakens cancer cells from sleep

December 04, 2020 12:41 Anatoly Glyantsev

Stress can lead to recurrence of cancer.
Pixabay Illustration

Under the influence of stress hormones, immune cells produce proteins that can trigger cancer recurrence.
Pixabay Illustration

Scientists have found that stress hormones activate "dormant" cancer cells, which can cause tumor recurrence. But doctors know how to prevent this disaster.

Hormones produced by the body during stress "wake up" cancer cells. As a result, the person may reappear tumor. But there are already drugs on the market that can prevent this development.

See scientific article published in Science Translational Medicine for details.

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is the second leading cause of death in Europe (after cardiovascular disease). Every year, a terrible disease claims millions of lives.

One of the most annoying features of cancer is its ability to reappear or recur. The tumor can be successfully removed by surgeons or completely suppressed with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. A person feels completely healthy for several years. And suddenly, for no apparent reason, trouble comes again.

It is not surprising that doctors have long wanted to find out what triggers this process. Previous studies have shown that at least a significant proportion of relapses are associated with dormant cancer cells. They separate from the main tumor and penetrate into different parts of the body. There they do not show activity, but seem to be waiting in the wings.

Since the dormant cells are not active, they do not produce the usual biochemical markers of cancer cells, so drugs do not work on them. In addition, these "residents" settle away from the main tumor. As a result, its surgical removal or destruction by radiation does not affect them in any way.

Under the influence of stress hormones, immune cells produce proteins that can trigger cancer recurrence.

Illustration Pixabay

What makes these cells wake up one day and give rise to a new tumor? The authors of a new study have convincingly shown that stress hormones are responsible for this. More precisely, proteins that are produced under the action of these hormones.

Biologists conducted an experiment on mice that had dormant lung and ovarian cancer tumor cells. The scientists immobilized the rodents, which naturally caused stress in the animals. Against this background, many animals had a recurrence of a cancerous tumor.

Researchers have found out the biochemical mechanism of this phenomenon. It's all about the stress hormones: norepinephrine and cortisol. They act on many body systems, but in this case, their effect on neutrophils (this is one of the most common types of human immune cells) is important. Neutrophils under the influence of stress hormones secrete proteins S100A8 and S100A9(shortly referred to as S100A8/A9). And the latter, through a chain of biochemical reactions, activate "sleeping" tumor cells.

As an experiment, scientists injected mice with beta-blockers. These are approved and long-used drugs that block the action of norepinephrine and cortisol. Mice treated with beta-blockers avoided tumor recurrence.

Then the researchers studied blood serum samples taken from 80 patients who had undergone surgical removal of lung cancer. They found that the higher the level of S100A8/A9 proteins, the greater was the likelihood of recurrence within 33 months after surgery.

Perhaps the administration of beta-blockers to these patients could prevent relapse, the authors note. An even better solution would be to develop drugs specifically targeting the S100A8/A9 proteins.

However, more research is needed to prove the efficacy and safety of this therapy. In the meantime, people who have undergone cancer treatment can be advised to avoid new stresses whenever possible.

By the way, earlier Vesti. Ru talked about why stress leads to gray hair. We also wrote that stress during pregnancy affects the sex of the child and the development of his brain.

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Even mild stress provokes inflammation of the brain in lonely people - Science The Serbian and Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry found that the short-term influence of weak unpredictable stressors on social animals (in this case, rodents) separated from their neighbors causes them not only depressive states, but also inflammation of the nervous tissue of the brain.

This explains why chronically stressed mammals (which include humans) are more likely to experience inflammation. Scientific article published in the journal Biology Bulletin .

17 adult male rats were used in an eight week experiment. These rodents prefer to be in the company of their own kind, and laboratories usually contain several individuals in each cage. Since solitary living has a stressful effect on them, the animals were kept in individual cages throughout the experiment. They were also affected by unpredictable and uncontrollable, albeit weak, stressors. At random times, food or a drinker was taken from the rodents (for such a period that they began to experience hunger or thirst, but without leading to health problems), one of the corners of the cage was tilted so that it became uncomfortable to move and sleep in it, the animal was placed in a cramped room with several unfamiliar individuals, etc. The rat could not predict what would happen to her next and when the unpleasant effect would end.

After 56 days of constant unpredictable stress, the animals were assessed for signs of depression using an anhedonia test. In the normal state, rodents, humans, and other mammals, when given the opportunity to have fun (hedonic experience), tend to realize this opportunity without negative consequences for themselves. Indifference to pleasure, also known as anhedonia, is one of the symptoms of depression. In rats, the presence of anhedonia is detected by whether they prefer sweetened water to regular water. After testing for anhedonia, the animals were euthanized and sections of brain tissue were made. In them, scientists measured the activity of genes encoding "inflammatory substances" - interleukins.

Anhedonia was found in all 17 rats studied. In addition, in different areas of their brain, the activity of the interleukin genes IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6 significantly differed from that in the control group of animals that were not subjected to constant unpredictable stress and did not show signs of depression.

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