Interaction of psychosocial and physical risk factors in the causation of mammary cancer, and its prevention through psychological methods of treatment

Grossarth-Maticek, Ronald; Eysenck, H. J.; Boyle, Gregory J.; Heep, J; Costa, SD; Diel, IJ

doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(200001)56:1<33::aid-jclp4>3.0.co;2-2

Cited by 45 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 63 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…Whereas stressful events do not appear to occur more often among those in whom cancer later developed, 21 41% of respondents in another study 22 cited stress as a cause of cancer. Neither the results on depression and immune function, 23 nor the findings related to psychological factors such as stress in cancer initiation 21,24,25 offer evidence for a role in cancer etiology. For causes commonly mentioned both by these patients with cancer and in the literature, the relative importance of categories varied dramatically.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Perceived Cancer Causes

et al. 2001

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Perceived Cancer Causes

et al. 2001

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“…Such synergistic risks can vary greatly in magnitude and have been identified for a range of hazard combinations across several domains. ( 1‐5 ) However, much less is known about lay individuals' understanding of synergistic risks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…( 1,22 ) Synergistic risks not only arise from physical interactions, but also from interactions involving psychological, environmental, and physiological factors. ( 2,4,23‐25 ) For example, Raine et al ( 5 ) show that the likelihood of a male committing a violent crime before reaching adulthood increases synergistically if his birth involved medical complications (e.g., mother suffering from preeclampsia) and he is subject to maternal rejection. Hence, there is increasing evidence that synergistic risks are not unique to the interaction of physical hazards.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do People Believe Combined Hazards Can Present Synergistic Risks?

2011

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The risk attributable to some hazard combinations can be greater than the sum of the risk attributable to each constituent hazard. Such "synergistic risks" occur in several domains, can vary in magnitude, and often have harmful, even life-threatening, outcomes. Yet, the extent to which people believe that combined hazards can present synergistic risks is unclear. We present the results of two experimental studies aimed at addressing this issue. In both studies, participants examined synergistic and additive risk scenarios, and judged whether these were possible. The results indicate that the proportion of people who believe that synergistic risks can occur declines linearly as the magnitude of the synergistic risk increases. We also find that people believe, despite scientific evidence to the contrary, that certain hazard combinations are more likely to present additive or weakly synergistic risks than synergistic risks of higher magnitudes. Furthermore, our findings did not vary as a simple function of hazard domain (health vs. social), but varied according to the characteristics of the specific hazards considered (specified vs. unspecified drug combinations). These results suggest that many people's beliefs concerning the risk attributable to combined hazards could lead them to underestimate the threat posed by combinations that present synergistic risks, particularly for hazard combinations that present higher synergistic risk magnitudes. These findings highlight a need to develop risk communications that can effectively increase awareness of synergistic risks.

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“…A meta‐analysis by Duijts et al (2003) found that approximate measures of stress, such as number of stressful life events, death of a significant other, and death of a loved one are correlated to breast cancer risk by odds ratios of 1.77 (95% confidence interval: 1.31–2.40), 1.37 (95% CI: 1.10–1.71), and 1.35 (95% CI: 1.09–1.68), respectively. Similarly, recent prospective cohort studies (Grossarth‐Maticek et al, 2000; Lillberg et al, 2001, 2002; Helgesson et al, 2003) show a significant association between approximate measures of psychological stress and breast cancer risk. Explaining this correlation requires the elucidation of a coherent biological mechanism able to link these two processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Hydrocortisone down‐regulates the tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 in mammary cells: A possible molecular link between stress and breast cancer

Antonova

Mueller

2008

Genes Chromosomes & Cancer

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Psychological stress has been correlated with breast cancer development in numerous epidemiological studies. However, physiological and molecular models which may account for this association are not readily available. We have found that the stress hormone hydrocortisone (cortisol) down-regulates the expression of the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 in the nonmalignant mouse mammary cell line EPH4. This effect is concentration-dependent, is reliant on the continuous presence of hydrocortisone, and is not affected by the addition of lactogenic hormones, or growth conditions. Hydrocortisone was also found to negate a known positive effect of estrogen on BRCA1 expression and, therefore, may interfere with estrogen-related signaling in mammary epithelial cells. The repressive effect of hydrocortisone is diminished or lost in the mouse mammary lines HC-11 and SP1, respectively, suggesting regulation of the BRCA1 may differ between lines. We have uncovered two promoter regulatory sites, which are involved in BRCA1 regulation by hydrocortisone, namely the RIBS and UP regulatory elements. Binding of the transcription factor GABP to both sites is lost upon hydrocortisone addition, though the levels of these factors are not altered by hydrocortisone treatment. Because BRCA1 activity is important for a number of intracellular pathways involved in prevention of tumorigenesis, its observed down-regulation may represent a novel molecular mechanism for cortisol's involvement in breast cancer development.

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Interaction of psychosocial and physical risk factors in the causation of mammary cancer, and its prevention through psychological methods of treatment

Cited by 45 publications

References 63 publications

Perceived Cancer Causes

Perceived Cancer Causes

Do People Believe Combined Hazards Can Present Synergistic Risks?

Hydrocortisone down‐regulates the tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 in mammary cells: A possible molecular link between stress and breast cancer

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