Stress and Coping Factors Influence Tumor Growth

Abstract

Growth of syngeneic P815 mastocytoma in DBA/2J male mice was evaluated as a result of various stress regimens. A single session of inescapable shock resulted in earlier tumor appearance, exaggeration of tumor size, and decreased survival time in recipient animals. Escapable shock had no such effects. The effects of the inescapable shock were mitigated if mice received long-term shock treatment.

Possible mechanism by which stress accelerates growth of virally derived tumors.

“…Stress can accelerate the growth of certain tumors, particularly those that are virally derived (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) (A) dGlc uptake was greatly enhanced in tumor tissues relative to nontransformed tissues in the adrenalectomized rats. Uptake by tumor was taken as 100%.…”

“…Cells were washed twice with Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer containing amino acids and vitamins (GIBCO), L-glutamine (2 mM), D-glucose (5.5 mM), streptomycin, and penicillin at pH 7.4 (KRPB/Glc) and incubated with or without 100 nM dexamethasone for 5 hr at 37°C or 32°C. Cells were washed twice with glucose-free KRPB (37°C or 32°C), and after 10 min of equilibration, sugar uptake was initiated by adding 1 (19). One group of rats was adrenalectomized the next day and maintained on 0.9% NaCl.…”

“…A characteristic of a certain subset of tumors, particularly virally induced ones, is their ability to grow faster in animals undergoing either somatic or psychogenic stress (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Stress can be immunosuppressive through a variety of humoral and neural mechanisms (6,7), and it has often been theorized that stress-induced acceleration of tumor growth is a result of such immunosuppression (2,4).…”

Stress, Coping, and Infectious Illness: Persistently Low Natural Killer Cell Activity as a Host Risk Factor

“…A number of such studies have also examined endocrinological and immunological mechanisms potentially mediating behavior and disease end-points (Shavit, Lewis, Terman, et a]., 1983;Sklar and Anisman, 1979;Greenberg, Dyck, and Sandier, 1985;Schneiderman, 1986).…”

Stress, Coping, and Infectious Illness: Persistently Low Natural Killer Cell Activity as a Host Risk Factor

“…A number of such studies have also examined endocrinological and immunological mechanisms potentially mediating behavior and disease end-points (Shavit, Lewis, Terman, et al, 1983;Sklar and Anisman, 1979;Greenberg, Dyck, and Sandier, 1985;Schneiderman, 1986).…”