Stress and depression may shorten lifespan for cancer patients
Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia can be severely damaging to an individual's quality of life, and those who buy Zyprexa and other types of medications may help alleviate their symptoms.
Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia can be severely damaging to an individual's quality of life, and those who buy Zyprexa and other types of medications may help alleviate their symptoms. According to researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center, high levels of depression and stress have been linked to a weaker immune system, which makes the body more susceptible to infection and disease.
Lead author Carolyn Fang and her colleagues - who will present their findings at the 32rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine - found that poor mental health has been linked to greater expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein that stimulates tumor growth and increases the mortality rate of head and neck cancer patients.
The researchers evaluated 37 individuals who had been recently diagnosed with head and neck cancer. The participants answered questions about the level of support they received from loved ones, as well as perceived depression or stress.
"Our analysis indicated that higher levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms were associated with greater VEGF expression in the tumor tissue of these patients," Fang explained.
She concluded that addressing mental illness early on may help enhance an individual's physical well-being.
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