For many cancer survivors, one of the most haunting questions is: Will it come back? Even after years of being cancer-free, recurrence is a real possibility—and until recently, we didn’t fully understand why. A recent study from researchers at The Wistar Institute might have uncovered part of the answer, and surprisingly, it has to do with something many of us live with every day: stress.
The Link Between Stress and Cancer: More Than a Hunch?
Scientists have long suspected a connection between chronic stress and cancer progression. After all, stress hormones like adrenaline and norepinephrine have powerful effects on the body. But connecting the dots has been tricky—especially in humans, where stress is hard to measure and often subjective.
Now, a new study published in Science Translational Medicine provides compelling evidence—at least in mice—that stress hormones can trigger a cascade of biological events leading to cancer recurrence. And it all starts with a surprising player in the immune system: neutrophils.
Neutrophils: Friends Turned Foes
Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell, our body’s first responders against infection. But in the context of cancer, they can be turned into “pro-tumor” agents that help rather than hinder cancer growth.
In this study, researchers created dormant cancer cells from lung, breast, and ovarian cancers—cells that survive initial treatment but stop growing. Alone, these cells remained inactive. But when combined with pro-tumor neutrophils, they started growing again.
So how does stress come into play? The scientists found that stress hormones change the behavior of neutrophils, prompting them to release certain proteins (specifically S100A8 and S100A9). These proteins then trigger the production of lipids that can “wake up” dormant cancer cells, leading to tumor formation.
In other words, stress hormones don’t directly cause cancer to recur—but they may set off a biological chain reaction that revives sleeping cancer cells.
Real-World Clues and Experimental Proof
The team didn’t stop at lab dishes. In mouse models, they discovered that physically stressed mice (those confined for several hours a day) had higher levels of stress hormones, more pro-tumor neutrophils, and—critically—a higher rate of cancer recurrence.
But there’s a silver lining: when these mice were treated with beta blockers (drugs that reduce the impact of stress hormones) or tasquinimod (which inhibits S100 proteins), the dormant cancer cells didn’t wake up. The chain reaction was broken.
This has real implications for humans. In a study of 80 patients who had undergone lung cancer surgery, those with higher levels of stress hormones or S100 proteins in their blood were more likely to experience an early recurrence.
What Does This Mean for Survivors?
First, it’s important to stress (pun intended) that being anxious or worried doesn’t automatically mean your cancer will come back. As Dr. Michela Perego, the lead author of the study, emphasizes: “One component of this cascade alone doesn’t work.” It’s a complex interplay of stress, immune cells, and molecular signaling.
However, this research does open exciting new avenues for preventing cancer recurrence. If we can interrupt the stress-induced cascade—using beta blockers, immune-modulating drugs, or therapies targeting dormant cells—we may be able to reduce the risk of relapse.
The Road Ahead
This study is only the beginning. As Dr. Jeffrey Hildesheim of the National Cancer Institute noted, it could unlock new areas of research into how the nervous system and immune system influence cancer. Already, scientists are working on drugs that can kill or suppress dormant and senescent cells—the kind that quietly linger after chemotherapy or radiation.
As we learn more, the message becomes clearer: treating cancer isn’t just about removing visible tumors. It’s also about understanding the hidden biological dynamics—like stress and immune cell behavior—that can determine whether cancer stays gone or comes roaring back.
Bottom Line: This new research highlights a potential link between stress and cancer recurrence via immune cell changes. While it doesn’t mean stress alone causes cancer to return, it’s a powerful reminder that our biology is deeply interconnected—and that managing stress might be more important than we ever realized.
For more details, you can read the full article on the National Cancer Institute’s website: Study Suggests a Link between Stress and Cancer Coming Back.
References
https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2021/cancer-returning-stress-hormones
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159120323813
