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Review
. 2021 Dec 20:11:738252.
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.738252. eCollection 2021.

Chronic Stress Effects on Tumor: Pathway and Mechanism

Hanqing Hong  1   2   3 , Min Ji  1   2   3 , Dongmei Lai  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Chronic Stress Effects on Tumor: Pathway and Mechanism

Hanqing Hong et al. Front Oncol. .

Abstract

Chronic stress is an emotional experience that occurs when people encounter something they cannot adapt to. Repeated chronic stress increases the risk of a variety of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, depression, endocrine disease, inflammation and cancer. A growing body of research has shown that there is a link between chronic stress and tumor occurrence in both animal studies and clinical studies. Chronic stress activates the neuroendocrine system (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) and sympathetic nervous system. Stress hormones promote the occurrence and development of tumors through various mechanisms. In addition, chronic stress also affects the immune function of the body, leading to the decline of immune monitoring ability and promote the occurrence of tumors. The mechanisms of chronic stress leading to tumor include inflammation, autophagy and epigenetics. These factors increase the proliferation and invasion capacity of tumor cells and alter the tumor microenvironment. Antagonists targeting adrenergic receptors have played a beneficial role in improving antitumor activity, as well as chemotherapy resistance and radiation resistance. Here, we review how these mechanisms contribute to tumor initiation and progression, and discuss whether these molecular mechanisms might be an ideal target to treat tumor.

Keywords: cancer; chronic stress; immunology; neuroendocrinology; targeted drugs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chronic stress activates the expression of genes/proteins in related pathways through β-ARs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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