Severe Stress Linked To Breast Cancer Risk
By MedHeadlines • Mar 12th, 2008 • Category: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Lifestyle, Medical Research, Pregnancy, Women's HealthSevere psychological stress may play a role in the development of breast cancer, according to a study conducted at Queen’s University. Biochemist Christopher Mueller led the study and found that the stress hormone hydrocortisone may repress the activity of a tumor-suppressing gene know as BRCA1 that is related to breast cancer.
The study, which was published recently in the Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer Journal, may pave the way for clinical interventions that could reduce or manage stress-related breast cancer risk. Previous studies have shown a relationship between the experience of intense psychological stress (such as the loss of a spouse), and elevated breast cancer risk. This is the first time that a breast-specific biological basis for this link has been identified.
“The knowledge gained through this research may help us identify genetic and biological markers that could tell us whether an individual woman is at increased of breast cancer due to stress,” said Dr. Mueller. “If we can develop a method of pinpointing those who may be particularly susceptible to the effects of hydrocortisone, we may be able to support them in taking steps to reduce their risk.”
Among women in the U.S., breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second-most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer). Women in the U.S. have a 1 in 8 lifetime chance of developing invasive breast cancer and a 1 in 33 chance of breast cancer causing their death.
Source: Queen’s University
I sincerely believe my breast cancer was caused by stress. Four months after my youngest daughter spent a month in the hospital with a ruptured bowel, and me having spent just about every night with her in the hospital and trying to keep up with my job, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I have no close relatives with this disease; no mother, no sisters, no aunts, no grandmothers.
Let me know if you need any more information.