Stress Has Negative Effects On Ovarian Cancer

A recent study has been carried out on mice and showed that stress worsens ovarian cancer, because the higher the levels of stress hormone in a woman's body, the more quickly the ovarian tumor will grow and spread. This is one of the first scientific proves that stress is linked to stress.

The medical team that conducted the research consists in experts from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. They have noticed throughout time that patients that suffered from ovarian cancer and also had serious life problems developed the malignant tumor more rapidly than those who received support from family and friends and lead a peaceful life.

It seems that high stress levels that were obviously observed in patients experiencing stressful life events lead to the producing of high level of a protein called VEGF. The protein enhances the growth of blood vessels in tumors. On the other hand, patients that did not encounter difficulties in everyday life had lower level of the VEGF protein in their body and showed lower rates of tumor growth.

During the experiment, the team introduced high levels of stress hormone in some of rats' bodies and established that the specific hormone directly attached to tumors and stimulated them to grow faster. The mice have already been infected with ovarian cancer. The findings also showed that mice stressed for a 6 hours period had 3.6 more tumors than the mice that were left alone. In half of the stressed rats the tumors have already spread towards spleen or liver.

The researchers also noticed, to their surprise, that tumor molecules have tiny cellular receptors that work when stress hormone is in vicinity. After receiving the stress hormone, tumor cells start building up blood vessels that will lea to the growth of the tumor.

"This study provides a new understanding of how chronic stress and stress factors drive tumor growth. The concept of stress hormone receptors directly driving cancer growth is very new," Dr Anil Sood, leader of the study stated.