Abstract
Chronic stress is an inextricable part of modern daily living; practically all human
diseases are negatively affected by it, particularly cancer. Numerous studies have
shown that stressors, depression, social isolation, and adversity correlate with a
worse prognosis for patients with cancer, with increased symptoms, early metastasis,
and a shortened life span. Prolonged or very intense adverse life episodes are perceived
and assessed by the brain that translate into physiologic responses mediated through
relays to the hypothalamus and locus coereleus. This triggers the activation of the
hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
with the secretion of glucocorticosteroids/epinephrine and nor-epinephrine (NE) .
These hormones and neurotransmitters affect immune surveillance and the immune response
to malignancies by skewing immunity from a Type 1 to a Type 2 response; this not only
impedes the detection and killing of cancer cells but actually induces immune cells
to facilitate cancer growth and systemic spread. This may be mediated by the engagement
of norepinephrine to β adrenergic receptors, which can be partially reversed by the
administration of β blockers.
Keywords
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In Press Accepted ManuscriptIdentification
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