A new study has revealed that stress might intensify the progression of melanoma tumors in patients with the particularly aggressive form of skin cancer.
For the study, Eric V. Yang, a research scientist at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research (IBMR), Ohio State University exposed samples of three melanoma cell lines to the compound norepinephrine, a naturally occurring catecholamine that functions as a stress hormone.They found that with increased stress, levels of norepinephrine increase in the bloodstream.
Yang and colleague Ronald Glaser were looked for changes in the levels of three proteins released by the cells.
They found that one of the proteins – vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF – plays a key role in stimulating the growth of new blood vessels needed to feed a growing tumor, a process called angiogenesis.
The other two proteins, Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-8, are both involved in fostering tumor growth.
“We noticed that all three of these proteins increased in response to the norepinephrine,” Yang explained.
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The researchers suggest that use of commonly prescribed blood pressure medicines might slow the development of those tumors and therefore improve these patients’ quality of life.
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The study is published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.
Source-ANI
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