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Stress increases the risk of cancer, and now we know why
Health – It’s really no surprise that stress isn’t good for your health. But according to a new study published this Thursday, February 22, in the journal Science Direct, the effect is more direct than we thought: stress hormones create the perfect conditions for cancer to spread. And above all, we know why.
Indeed, if we already knew that a stressful environment can increase the risk of heart disease and tumors, the causal link is missing. By studying the effects of stress hormones on mice, these researchers may have finally found the answer in humans.
According to him, our body, under the influence of stress, creates its own traps. It weaves very dangerous webs that facilitate the spread of cancer. However, these same networks are initially created to protect us.
Cobwebs
It all starts with a very specific type of cell called a neutrophil. These are white blood cells, our body’s guards that fight infections caused by bacteria and fungi.
These magic cells set a real trap around themselves: to kill many large pathogens, they secrete toxins and DNA and create a sticky web called a NET (NET) with it.Neutrophil extracellular traps, or extracellular neutrophil traps in French), a bit like spiders. What is created is an increasingly ramified network. And in certain situations, it goes from beneficial to dangerous: thus it provides an ideal environment for the spread of cancer cells.
However, when it is subjected to stress, the body secretes hormones that force the white blood cells to weave this same web. When the study subjected the sick mice to a form of chronic stress, their breast cancers metastasized to the lungs more quickly and extensively than normal, spreading four times to the rest of the body. More than usual.
Even more surprising, mice without tumors also developed these same networks with altered lung tissue. If these webs can prove to be very harmful, it is because as they develop, they inflame the affected area and directly affect the tissues present. And who says a damaged cell, a very high risk of cancer too. ” It’s almost like (neutrophils) set the stage for cancer to develop “, explains study co-author Zhu-Yan He.
A cure for cancer?
But it’s not all bad news. According to the researchers, the discovery could be used to help treat tumors that have already been diagnosed. If reducing a cancer patient’s stress is too complicated, researchers believe they can overcome this problem by acting directly against the harmful webs.
By using drugs against the formation of these networks, we can then prevent or at least slow the spread of metastatic cancer to the rest of the body. In addition, according to experts, this same system can still prove to be very useful in preventing the primitive tumor from developing into metastasis. One thing is for sure: In the fight against cancer, but also for good health in general, less stress can only do good.
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