Comprehensive Physiology Wiley Online Library

Environmental Factors and Disease: Stress and Cancer

Full Article on Wiley Online Library



Abstract

The sections in this article are:

1 Stress‐Induced Changes in Tumor Progression in Nonhuman Subjects
1.1 Effect of Physical Stressors on Tumor Progression
1.2 Effect of Psychological Stressors on Tumor Progression
1.3 Summary
2 Effects of Manipulations of the Micro‐Environment on Stress‐Induced Changes in Tumor Progression
2.1 Psychiatric–Pharmacological Manipulations
2.2 Hormonal Manipulations
2.3 Neurochemical Manipulations
2.4 Other Influences on Stress‐Induced Tumor Progression
2.5 Summary
3 Psychological Effects on Tumors in Human Subjects
4 Conclusion
References
 1. Aarstad, H. J., and R. Seljelid. Effects of stress on the growth of a fibrosarcoma in nu/nu and conventional mice. Scand. J. Immunol. 35: 209–215, 1992.
 2. Ader, R., D. L. Felten, and N. Cohen. Psychoneuroimmunology. San Diego: Academic, 1991.
 3. Albanes, D. Caloric intake, body weight, and cancer. A review. Nutr. Cancer 9: 199–217, 1987.
 4. Barlozzari, T., J. Leonhardt, R. H. Wiltrout, R. B. Herberman, and C. W. Reynolds. Direct evidence for the role of LGL in the inhibition of experimental tumor metastases. J. Immunol. 134: 2783–2789, 1985.
 5. Basso, A. M., M. Depiante‐Depaoli, and V. A. Molina. Chronic variable stress facilitates tumoral growth: reversal by imipramine administration. Life Sci. 50: 1789–1796, 1992.
 6. Baum, A., R. J. Gatchel, M. A. Schaeffer. Emotional, behavioral and physiological effects of chronic stress at Three Mile Island. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 51: 565–572, 1983.
 7. Ben‐Eliyahu, S., G. G. Page, G. Shakhar, and A. N. Taylor. Increased susceptibility to metastasis during pro‐oestrus/oestrus in rats: possible role of oestradiol and natural killer cells. Br. J. Cancer 74: 1900–1907, 1996.
 8. Ben‐Eliyahu, S., G. G. Page, R. Yirmiya, and A. N. Taylor. Acute alcohol intoxication suppresses natural killer cell activity and promotes tumor metastasis. Nat. Med. 2: 457–460, 1996.
 9. Ben‐Eliyahu, S., R. Yirmiya, J. C. Liebeskind, A. N. Taylor, and R. P. Gale. Stress increases metastatic spread of a mammary tumor in rats: evidence for mediation by the immune system. Brain Behav. Immun. 5: 193–205, 1991.
 10. Bogden, A. E., J.‐P. Moreau, and P. A. Eden. Proliferative response of human and animal tumours to surgical wounding of normal tissues: onset, duration and inhibition. Br. J. Cancer 75: 1021–1027, 1997.
 11. Brenner, G. J., N. Cohen, R. Ader, and J. A. Moynihan. Increased pulmonary metastases and natural killer cell activity in mice following handling. Life Sci. 47: 1813–1819, 1990.
 12. Brenner, G. J., S. Y. Felten, D. L. Felten, and J. A. Moynihan. Sympathetic nervous system modulation of tumor metastases and host defense mechanisms. J. Neuroimmunol. 37: 191–202, 1992.
 13. Chang, N., M. T. Tseng, and T. S. Spaulding. Induction and growth of mammary tumors after superior cervical ganglionectomy in sighted and blinded‐anosmic rats. Life Sci. 38: 1821–1826, 1986.
 14. Colacchio, T. A., M. P. Yeager, and L. W. Hildebrandt. Perioperative immunomodulation in cancer surgery. Am. J. Surg. 167: 174–179, 1994.
 15. Demetrikopoulos, M. K., Z. Zhang, R. H. Goldfarb, and J. M. Weiss. Housing, tumor development and B cells: implications for stress‐induced modulation, [abstract]. Program, Research Prospectives in Psychoneuroimmunology, Boulder, CO, June 1997.
 16. Everett, R. Factors affecting spontaneous tumor incidence rates in mice: a literature review. Crit. Rev. Toxicol. 13: 235–251, 1985.
 17. File, S. E. The stress of intruding: reduction by chlordiazepoxide. Physiol. Behav. 33: 345–347, 1984.
 18. Fitzmaurice, M. A. Physiological relationships among stress, viruses, and cancer in experimental animals. Int. J. Neurosci. 39: 307–324, 1988.
 19. Freire‐Garabal, M., M. J. Nunez, J. L. Balboa, J. A. Suarez, and A. Belmonte. Effects of alprazolam on the development of MTV‐induced mammary tumors in female mice under stress. Cancer Lett. 62: 185–189, 1991.
 20. Geyer, S. Life events, chronic difficulties and vulnerability factors preceding breast cancer. Soc. Sci. Med. 37: 1545–1555, 1993.
 21. Ghanta, V. K., T. Miura, N. S. Hiramoto, and R. N. Hiramoto. Augmentation of natural immunity and regulation of tumor growth by conditioning. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 521: 29–42, 1988.
 22. Giraldi, T., L. Perissin, S. Zorzet, P. Piccini, and V. Rapozzi. Effects of stress on tumor growth and metastasis in mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma. Eur. J. Cancer Clin. Oncol. 25: 1583–1588, 1989.
 23. Goldman, P. R., and W. H. Vogel. Plasma estradiol and prolactin levels and their response to stress in two strains of rat with different sensitivities to 7,12‐dimethylbenz[a]‐anthracene‐induced tumors. Cancer Lett. 25: 277–282, 1985.
 24. Hardy, C.‐A., J. Quay, S. Livnat, and R. Ader. Altered T‐lymphocyte response following aggressive encounters in mice. Physiol. Behav. 47: 1245–1251, 1990.
 25. Hatch, M. C., J. Beyea, J. W. Nieves, and M. Susser. Cancer near the Three Mile Island nuclear plant: Radiation emissions. Am. J. Epidemiol. 132: 397–412, 1990.
 26. Hatch, M. C., S. Wallenstein, J. Beyea, J. W. Nieves, and M. Susser. Cancer rates after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident and proximity to residence to the plant. Am. J. Public Health 81: 719–724, 1991.
 27. Higashiyama, A., H. Watanabe, K. Okumura, and H. Yagita. Involvement of tumor necrosis factor α and very late activation antigen 4/vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 interaction in surgical‐stress‐enhanced experimental metastasis. Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 42: 231–236, 1996.
 28. Hilakivi‐Clarke, L., and R. B. Dickson. Stress influence on development of hepatocellular tumors in transgenic mice over‐expressing TGFα. Acta Oncol. 34: 907–912, 1995.
 29. Hiramoto, Y., and K. Sugimachi. Effect of glucocorticoid deficiency after adrenalectomy on antitumor immunity. Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 25: 157–160, 1987.
 30. Hodgson, D. M., F. Chiappelli, M. Kung, D. L. Tio, N. S. Morrow, and A. N. Taylor. Effect of acute dietary restriction on the colonization of MADB106 tumor cells in the rat. Neuroimmunomodulation 3: 371–380, 1996.
 31. Houts, P. S., R. W. Miller, K. S. Ham, et al. Extent and duration of psychological distress of persons in the vicinity of Three Mile Island. Proc. Penn. Acad. Sci. 54: 22–28, 1980.
 32. Hughes, J. E. Depressive illness and lung cancer. I. Depression before diagnosis. Eur. J. Surg. Oncol. 11: 15–20, 1985.
 33. Justice, A. Review of the effects of stress on cancer in laboratory animals: importance of time of stress application and type of tumor. Psychol. Bull. 98: 108–138, 1985.
 34. Kandil, O., and M. Borysenko. Stress‐induced decline in immune responsiveness in C3H/HeJ mice: relation to endocrine alterations and tumor growth. Brain Behav. Immun. 2: 32–49, 1988.
 35. Katz, R. J., K.A. Roth, and B. J. Carroll. Acute and chronic stress effects on open field activity in the rat: implications for a model of depression. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 5: 247–251, 1981.
 36. Kitson, R. P., K. W. Brunson, C.A. Miller, and R. H. Goldfarb. Neuroendocrine modulation of tumor metastases. I. Effect of andrenalectomy on B16 melanoma metastases. In Vivo 8: 803–806, 1994.
 37. Kodama, M., T. Kodama, Y. Nishi, and R. Totani. Does surgical stress cause tumor metastasis? Anticancer Res. 12: 1603–1616, 1992.
 38. Kort, W. J. The effect of chronic stress on the immune response. Adv. Neuroimmunol. 4: 1–11, 1994.
 39. Lahiri, T., and D. Roy. Effects of chronic and intermittent cold stress on physiological and tumour response in mice. Indian J. Exp. Biol. 25: 285–289, 1987.
 40. Lotzova, E., and R. B. Herberman. (Eds.). Immunobiology of Natural Killer Cells. Boca Raton, FL: CRC, vols. 1 and 2. 1986.
 41. Mazur‐Kolecka, B., O. Machala, A. Skowron‐Cendrzak, M. Kubera, M. Bubak‐Satora, A. Basta‐Kaim, and A. Roman. Effect of immobilization tress on tumor growth in mice. Neoplasma 41: 183–186, 1994.
 42. McEwen, B. S., C. A. Biron, K. W. Brunson, K. Bulloch, W. H. Chambers, F. S. Dhabhar, R. H. Goldfarb, R. P. Kitson, A. H. Miller, R. L. Spencer, and J. M. Weiss. The role of adrenocorticoids as modulators of immune function in health and disease: neural, endocrine and immune interactions. Brain Res. Bull. 23: 79–133, 1997.
 43. Page, G. G., and S. Ben‐Eliyahu. Increased surgery‐induced metastasis and suppressed natural killer cell activity during proestrus/estrus in rats. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 45: 159–167, 1997.
 44. Page, G. G., Ben‐Eliyahu, S. and J. C. Liebeskind. The role of LGL/NK cells in surgery‐induced promotion of metastasis and its attenuation by morphine. Brain Behav. Immun. 8: 241–250, 1994.
 45. Page, G. G., S. Ben‐Eliyahu, R. Yirmiya, and J. C. Liebeskind. Morphine attenuated surgery‐induced enhancement of metastatic colonization in rats. Pain 54: 21–28, 1993.
 46. Perissin, L., S. Zorzet, P. Piccini, V. Rapozzi, and T. Giraldi. Effects of rotational stress on the effectiveness of cyclophosphamide and razoxane in mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma. Clin. Exp. Metastasis 9: 541–549, 1991.
 47. Perissin, L., S. Zorzet, V. Rapozzi, D. Paoletti, and T. Giraldi. Seasonal dependency of the effects of experimental stressors on tumor metastasis in mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma. Chronobiologia 21: 99–103, 1994.
 48. Petitto, J. M., D. T. Lysle, J.‐L. Gariepy, P. H. Clubb, R. B. Cairns, and M. H. Lewis. Genetic differences in social behavior: relation to natural killer cell function and susceptibility to tumor development. Neuropsychopharmacology. 8: 35–43, 1993.
 49. Pollock, R. E., E. Lotzova, and S. D. Stanford. Mechanism of surgical stress impairment of human perioperative natural killer cell cytotoxicity. Arch. Surg. 126: 338–342, 1991.
 50. Radosevic‐Stasic, B., M. Cuk, I. Mrakovcic‐Sutic, V. Barac‐Latas, D. Muhvic, P. Lucin, M. Petkovic, and D. Rukavina. Immunosuppressive properties of halothane anesthesia and/or surgical stress in experimental conditions. Int. J. Neurosci. 51: 235–236, 1990.
 51. Radosevic‐Stasic, B., M. Udovic‐Sirola, L. Stojanov, L. Ribaric, and D. Rukavina. Growth of allogeneic sarcoma in mice subjected to halothane anesthesia and/or surgical stress. Anesth. Analg. 69: 570–574, 1989.
 52. Romero, L. M., K. M. Raley‐Susman, D. M. Redish, S. M. Brooke, H. C. Horner, and R. M. Sapolsky. Possible mechanism by which stress accelerates growth of virally derived tumors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89: 11084–11087, 1992.
 53. Roselle, G., C. L. Mendenhall, and C. J. Grossman. Effects of alcohol on immunity and cancer. In: edited by R. Yirmiya and A. N. Taylor. Alcohol, Immunity, and Cancer, Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 1994, p 3–21.
 54. Sapolsky, R. M., and T. M. Donnelly. Vulnerability to stress‐induced tumor growth increases with age in rats: role of glucocorticoids. Endocrinology 117: 662–666, 1985.
 55. Schmidt, R. E., (Ed.). Natural Killer Cells: Biology and Clinical Applications. Basel: Karger, 1990.
 56. Sekiya, C., H. Kohda, N. Yoshida, M. Ohhira, A. Uehara, T. Uede, K. Kikuchi, and M. Namiki. Effects of stress on growth of transplanted hepatic tumours and immune responses. J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 6: 609–614, 1991.
 57. Seligman, M.E.P. Depression and learned helplessness. In: The Psychology of Depression: Contemporary Theory and Research edited by R. J. Friedman and M. M. Katz. Washington, D.C.: V. H. Winston, 1974, p 83–125.
 58. Shakhar, G., and S. Ben‐Eliyahu. In vivo β‐adrenergic stimulation suppresses natural killer activity and compromises resistance to tumor metastasis in rats. J. Immunol. 160: 3251–3258, 1998.
 59. Sklar, L. S., and H. Anisman. Stress and cancer. Psychol. Bull. 89: 369–406, 1981.
 60. Spiegel, D., J. R. Bloom, H. C. Kraemer, and E. Gottheil. Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Lancet 2: 888–891, 1989.
 61. Stefanski, V., and S. Ben‐Eliyahu. Social confrontation and tumor metastasis in rats: defeat and β‐adrenergic mechanisms. Physiol. Behav. 60: 277–282, 1996.
 62. Steplewski, Z., P. R. Goldman, and W. H. Vogel. Effect of housing stress on the formation and development of tumors in rats. Cancer Lett. 34: 257–261, 1987.
 63. Steplewski, Z., W. H. Vogel, H. Ehya, C. Poropatich, and J. M. Smith. Effects of restraint stress on inoculated tumor growth and immune response in rats. Cancer Res. 45: 5128–5133, 1985.
 64. Tanabe, H. Study of effect of surgical stress on immunity in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Arch. Jpn. Chir. 62: 145–152, 1993.
 65. Tejwani, G. A., K. P. Gudehithlu, S. H. Hanissian, I. E. Gienapp, C. C. Whitacre, and W. B. Malarkey. Facilitation of dimethylbenz[a]anthracene‐induced rat mammary tumorigenesis by restraint stress: role of β‐endorphin, prolactin and naltrexone. Carcinogenesis 12: 637–641, 1991.
 66. Temoshok, L. Biopsychosocial studies on cutaneous malignant melanoma: psychosocial factors associated with prognostic indicators, progression, psychophysiology and tumor‐host response. Soc. Sci. Med. 20: 833–840, 1985.
 67. Temoshok, L., H.V.S. Peeke, and C. W. Mehard. Individual behavior differences related to induced tumor growth in the female Syrian hamster: two studies. Int. J. Neurosci. 38: 199–209, 1988.
 68. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Bethesda, MD: NIH, 1985, publication 86–23.
 69. van den Brink, M.R.M., L. E. Hunt, and J. C. Hiserodt. In vivo treatment with monoclonal antibody 3.2.3 selectively eliminates natural killer cells in rats. J. Exp. Med. 171: 197–210, 1990.
 70. Weiss, J. M., M. K. Demetrikopoulos, C.H.K. West, and R. W. Bonsall. Hypothesis linking the noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems in depression. Depression 3: 225–245, 1996.
 71. Weiss, J. M., P. A. Goodman, B. G. Losito, S. Corrigan, J. M. Charry, and W. H. Bailey. Behavioral depression produced by an uncontrollable stressor: relationship to norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin levels in various regions of the rat brain. Brain Res. Rev. 3: 167–205, 1981.
 72. Weiss, J. M., S. K. Sundar, K. J. Becker, and M. A. Cierpial. Behavioral and neural influences on cellular immune responses: effects of stress and interleukin‐1. J. Clin. Psychiatry 50 (Suppl.): 43–53, 1989.
 73. Yamamoto, H., K. Fujii, and T. Hayakawa. Inhibitory effect of cold stress on lung tumors induced by 7,12‐dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in mice. J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol. 121: 393–396, 1995.
 74. Yoshihara, H., N. Tanaka, and K. Orita. Suppression of natural killer cell activity by surgical stress in cancer patients and the underlying mechanisms. Acta Med. Okayama 40: 113–119, 1986.

Contact Editor

Submit a note to the editor about this article by filling in the form below.

* Required Field

How to Cite

Melissa K. Demetrikopoulos, Jay M. Weiss, Ronald H. Goldfarb. Environmental Factors and Disease: Stress and Cancer. Compr Physiol 2011, Supplement 23: Handbook of Physiology, The Endocrine System, Coping with the Environment: Neural and Endocrine Mechanisms: 497-514. First published in print 2001. doi: 10.1002/cphy.cp070422