We all feel stressed at times, and a little bit of stress might help you focus or get things done. But chronic stress can contribute to mental and physical health issues. Although there is no evidence that stress directly causes cancer, it can create an environment in your body where cancer is more likely to develop. Here we dive deeper into the research and answer more of your questions about stress and cancer.
I was stressed for years, is that why I got cancer?
Cancer is a very complex disease. It develops because of mistakes called mutations in the DNA in your cells but the exact cause of why these mistakes happen isn’t always clear. You shouldn’t feel guilty or responsible for your cancer because of any stress you have experienced.
Better understanding how factors such as stress may play a role in the development of cancer can help researchers find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Receiving a cancer diagnosis is also incredibly stressful so finding out more about the relationship between stress and cancer is particularly useful.
Can stress cause cancer to spread faster?
Receiving a cancer diagnosis and going through treatment is a very stressful situation. Some patients worry that this stress may make their cancer even worse, but although there are some studies that suggest an element of truth to this, the research is inconclusive.
Stress can affect your body in lots of ways including increasing your levels of a hormone called cortisol, which can make it more likely for cancer to develop. Although stress does not directly cause cancers to spread, a study has suggested that stress possibly creates conditions where cancer is more able to spread. Further research is needed to work out exactly why this could be and importantly how we can stop this spread.
How does chronic stress affect the body in ways that matter for cancer?
Although stress does not directly cause cancer, there are three main ways chronic stress can indirectly raise your risk of cancer:
Weakening your immune system
Your immune system is your body‘s defence mechanism, helping ward off unwanted diseases. Stress can weaken your immune system, making it easier for cancer to grow.
Altering hormone levels
Stress causes the release of hormones including cortisol and adrenaline. Raised levels of these hormones can put you at greater risk of inflammation, which can drive cancer development.
What is the link between stress, inflammation and cancer?
Inflammation is your body’s reaction to damage. Short-term inflammation, also called acute inflammation, can be seen when your nose runs if you have cold or your skin appears red after a burn. This shows that your body is healing and dealing with any injured cells or irritants. Acute inflammation normally doesn’t last more than a few days. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, lasts longer and is when these normally healthy processes can actually begin to damage your body.
A range of health problems including arthritis, heart disease and cancer can be caused by too much inflammation. Experts estimate that around 1 in 5 cancers are linked to inflammation and new cancer cures may come from better understanding this link. Dr Sanne van Neerven in the Netherlands (shown in photo) is investigating the link between inflammation in the bowel and tumour growth. She hopes to find new ways to stop bowel cancer before it becomes deadly.
How can you reduce your risk of inflammation?
You may be wondering how you can reduce your risk of inflammation. There are certain things you can’t control – like your genetics – but luckily there are also some factors that you have more say over. Cutting down on alcohol, quitting smoking, eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise are all things you can do to lower your risk of inflammation.
Stress is another factor which is known to affect inflammation. We don’t yet fully understand the ways that stress, inflammation and cancer are all inter-connected, but chronic stress makes it more likely that you will suffer from inflammation and this in turn increases your risk of cancer. It’s a complicated process to understand though, which is why we need more international cancer research to drive future breakthroughs in this area.
If I control my stress can I prevent cancer coming back?
Even after successful cancer treatment, patients often live with the fear of their cancer coming back. We don’t fully understand why cancer comes back in some patients and not others, but it can depend on a lot of different circumstances including the type of cancer, the particular treatment, genetics and environmental factors.
A study in mice has shown stress hormones trigger a process that can lead to dormant cancer cells waking up and forming tumours again. This doesn’t mean being stressed will make your cancer will come back, but it does suggest more research about stress and cancer could help find out why cancer sometimes comes back and who is at most risk.
The most important thing is to always follow any treatment plan from your oncology team, including any follow up appointments or scans.
Why does research about stress and cancer matter?
You may have heard that there isn’t a connection between stress or cancer or that it isn’t worth investigating this topic. However, we are starting to understand more and more about the relationship between cancer and stress, and it is only with further research that we can learn exactly how stress impacts our body, how we can reduce our risk of cancer, and how we can stop cancer spreading or coming back.
As a cancer charity, we are helping to drive breakthroughs about how stress and inflammation affect the body, which could lead to brand new ways to prevent and treat cancer. We know that as we age, our risk of developing cancer increases and that inflammation plays a role in this. Thanks to you, Professor Lesley Stark has revealed a link between inflammation and ageing that could potentially completely shift how we think about cancer.
We can’t cure what we don’t understand, so research like this is the only way to reach a day when no life is cut short by cancer.
Your FAQs about stress and cancer
Can stress cause cancer?
There is no evidence that stress directly causes cancer. However, chronic stress can make you more at risk of developing certain diseases including cancer. Chronic stress can affect your hormone levels, weaken your immune system and make you more likely to lead an unhealthy lifestyle which can all play a role in your cancer risk.
Can stress hormones help cancer cells grow?
Yes, stress can affect the levels of certain hormones in your body including cortisol which is sometimes called your ‘stress hormone’. Having higher levels of cortisol may increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Does stress affect cancer treatment outcomes?
The role of stress in cancer is still unclear. Although some studies suggest that stress can affect treatment outcomes, more in-depth research is needed to understand this better. International cancer research can help find the answers to important questions about the relationship between stress and cancer treatment.
What lifestyle changes can reduce cancer risk?
It is estimated that around 4 in 10 cancer cases worldwide could be prevented. There are lifestyle changes we can all make which can help to reduce cancer risk. These include quitting smoking, following a balanced diet and reducing the amount of red or processed meat we eat, cutting down on alcohol and getting regular exercise.
Since the sooner cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat, it is also important to check your body regularly for symptoms and take part in any cancer screening or immunisation programmes you are invited to.
What research is being done into stress and cancer?
Researchers are helping to understand the complicated relationship between stress and cancer, but work in this area is really just beginning. There are a lot of unanswered questions about how stress plays a role in making us more prone to cancer, how stress may influence cancer’s ability to spread and what patients are at most risk. Discovery research is vital to answer these questions and help find new ways to prevent and treat cancer.
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