Chronic stress can make cancer worse, an expert has warned – as she suggests patients take up meditation or yoga to help combat the disease.
Dr Kimberly Bussey, from Midwestern University in Arizona, said psychological stress is a contributing factor to both the development of cancer and a patient’s response to treatment.
As part of a study, she analysed how the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol fluctuates in cancer patients throughout the day.
In healthy people, they are usually highest in the morning and lowest in the evening.
But in cancer patients this is disrupted – staying persistently high over a 24-hour time period.
This allows cancer cells to transform to become more robust, harder to treat and more likely to spread, the research found.
‘Patients should, in as much as they can, do things that experts advise all of us to do to manage stress – exercise, get outside in nature, engage in mindfulness practices like journaling, meditation or deep breathing, eat a healthy diet, give back to others, get enough sleep,’ Dr Bussey said.
‘I think there are arguments to be made for starting and ending the day with practices that reduce stress and promote quality sleep.
Cancer patients who take up meditation or yoga to ease their stress could help combat the spread of the disease, experts said (file image)
‘In the morning, those practices can support a resilient mental state that helps us manage daily stress better.
‘At night, those same types of practices can help us relax and facilitate getting quality sleep.’
The findings – along with similar research – are part of the reason that some institutions now include counselling and support groups as part of the treatment plan for cancer, she explained.
She added that having cancer itself is a stressful experience so minimising any extra during normal life, while developing effective comping mechanisms, is important because ‘no one is going to eliminate stress completely’.
‘Spending time with friends and family even if it is just hanging out or being in the same room together can help,’ Dr Bussey said.
The research found that cortisol permanently increases the ‘stemness’ of cancer cells, which is a measure of how adaptable they are to change.
Data also shows that cortisol makes cancer cells better able to spread to different tissues and also to survive treatment with some chemotherapy drugs.
Experiments on cells in a lab indicate the changes are permanent and not undone if a person gets less stressed.
In cancer patients, the stress hormone cortisol remains persistently high throughout the day – so minimising any extra stress is important (file image)
Dr Bussey presented her work, conducted with medical student Cassidy Kennedy, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Phoenix, Arizona.
Last week, researchers announced that your household cat could hold the key to understanding and curing cancer.
Scientists carried out a world–first study into multiple cancer types in felines and found genetic changes that could help treat the condition in both humans and animals.
By analysing the different types of tumours from almost 500 pet cats across five countries, they discovered the mechanisms that drive cancer formation are comparable to those seen in people.
For example, they found similarities between feline mammary cancers and human breast cancers.
The findings could mean it is possible to develop cancer treatments that target these changes in cats and potentially in humans.
