Stress and Cancer Here's another downside to stress. New research shows the stress hormone epinephrine causes changes in cancer cells, making them more resistant to cell death. Researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., looked at how levels of epinephrine relates to changes in cancer cells. George Kulik, D.V.M., Ph.D., from Wake Forest University reports a link between stress and cancer has been made, but studies in large groups of people have had mixed results. He writes, "We asked the question, 'If stress is linked to cancer, what is the cellular mechanism?' There had been no evidence that stress directly changes cancer cells." Previous research shows levels of epinephrine are significantly higher when someone is going through a stressful situation. Those levels can remain high during chronic stress and depression. Dr. Kulik studied prostate and breast cancer cells in the laboratory and found some interesting results. He and colleagues found a particular protein called BAD, which causes cell death, becomes inactive when cancer cells are exposed to epinephrine. Dr. Kulik reports, "A study from Canada showed that men who took beta blockers for hypertension for at least four years had an 18-percent lower risk of prostate cancer. These drugs block the effects of epinephrine, which could explain the finding. Another study of men after radical prostatectomy reported increased mood disturbances, which are often associated with elevated stress hormones. Although these studies do not directly address the role of stress hormones, they suggest that stress hormones may play an important role in prostate cancer." Researchers report their study results imply that stress may contribute to the development of cancer and may also reduce the efficacy of cancer treatment once a person has been diagnosed. Kulik concludes, "It may be important for patients who have increased responses to stress to learn to manage the effects. And, the results point to the possibility of developing an intervention to block the effects of epinephrine." This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/. SOURCE: Journal of Biological Chemistry, published online, March 12, 2007 Our Source: www.ivanhoe.com Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.