Does the cancer cause stress? Surprise Scientists

Prof. Melani Flint of the University of Brighton, who studies the impact of cancer stress hormones, says: “There is a lot of progress in this area and I think we can't rule out the stress contribution to cancer development.

My opinion is that stress really contributes, both to cancer and to its spread when it already shows up, but it's a contributing factor, and not necessarily a direct trigger.” It seems that some studies that have followed large populations in time support this idea.

A study of 10,000 women in Finland, which lasted 15 years, revealed that those who had experienced deep sadness were more likely to develop breast cancer within five years.

Stress exposure in the workplace is linked to a greater risk of prostate cancer in men under 65 and, to a lesser extent, even breast cancer in women. However, similar studies, including the analysis of the highest quality tests, show no link.

Part of the problem, according to Professor Trevor Graham, director of the Center for Evolution and Cancer at the Cancer Research Institute, is the fact that stress is often accompanied by other behaviors that also increase the risk of cancer.

“Stress - related life is often linked to many other risk factors for cancer, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity and unhealthy food, so it is difficult to separate the real cause of”

“Stres causes stress hormone release, cortisol. Stress and cortisol can suppress the immune system”-extenses Professor Flint.

Scientists have also tried to mimic the effect of stress on cells in the laboratory, which has shown that stress can harm DNA and cause changes in cells that, if reproduced, can develop into cancer. But since stress is difficult to represent accurately in laboratory conditions, this may not be a reliable indication of what really happens in the human body, notes Professor Graham.