More stress talk

Hissy_Fitz

There have been a number of discussions here regarding stress and OVCA. Here is a cut-and-paste I found. The correlation is much more definitive than I would have believed otherwise. This was published April 15,2010


Researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report that chronic stress triggers a chain of molecular events that protects breakaway ovarian cancer cells from destruction.

Under stress conditions the body products heightened levels of the fight-or-flight stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine and the researchers discovered that this permits more malignant cells to avoid being killed off. They can safely leave the primary tumour and migrate as they move through the body in the blood and in ascites (fluid that accumulates in the abdomen of ovarian cancer patients) where they can re-attach to colonize new sites elsewhere.

Researchers also found that ovarian cancer patients face earlier mortality when a crucial protein activated by these stress hormones is present at high levels in their tumours and that depressed patients have higher levels of the protein.

Reducing stress levels, and therefore adrenaline levels, is a crucial part of any cancer treatment programme, but particularly for ovarian cancer. The researchers are now investigating whether similar effects from stress and adrenaline excess occur in other types of cancer as well.

Tina Brown

Cancer and stress
OMG Carlene. This research makes so much sense to me - I can't believe it. The year before I was diagnosed I underwent 2 terrible events in my life and had one nervous breakdown after another. I remember vividly having this physical pain deep down in my stomach as my Dad said it was my nerve endings. I was and still am "anti-depressants" and still have episodes of "fear" as I call it. I am still trying to deal with the fall out of what happened to me 2 years ago but this theory really explains why I got this wierd and rare cancer (PPC)

So in order to beat cancer I have to reduce my stress levels. This is a tall order as we are dealing with a life threatening illness - but I will do my best as I remember what caused it.

Thanks Carlene you always give us such useful and informatrive information.

Tina xx

nancy591

Thank you for sharing
I like to put it as I was not dealing well with my work related stress. It was this new stress at work that caused me to start having an abnormal heart beat called PVC. I was under this stress for about a year prior to being diagnosed. I was always a 'nervous' person and suffered from untreated anxiety. Ironically I was always worried about my health and leaving my kids motherless. I was a frequent flyer at the doctors office. That is why is pisses me off that I was misdiagnosed when I initially started having bowel symptoms. Maybe they pooh-poohed my symptoms because I was always there with complaints of different symptoms?

My home life was great though. My husband and I had just moved into our newly built home. Newly furnished too. We were planning lots of things.
We were enjoying trips to Disney and planning more vacations.

Cancer sucks!

Tina Brown

nancy591 said:

Thank you for sharing
I like to put it as I was not dealing well with my work related stress. It was this new stress at work that caused me to start having an abnormal heart beat called PVC. I was under this stress for about a year prior to being diagnosed. I was always a 'nervous' person and suffered from untreated anxiety. Ironically I was always worried about my health and leaving my kids motherless. I was a frequent flyer at the doctors office. That is why is pisses me off that I was misdiagnosed when I initially started having bowel symptoms. Maybe they pooh-poohed my symptoms because I was always there with complaints of different symptoms?

My home life was great though. My husband and I had just moved into our newly built home. Newly furnished too. We were planning lots of things.
We were enjoying trips to Disney and planning more vacations.

Cancer sucks!

Stress
Oh Nancy it seems so unfair that you had started a new life in your new home with a loving family and you get the bomb shell. Cancer does suck - a bit like a ticking time bomb. You are so lucky though to have a loving husband to support you and keep you fighting. I wish you all the luck, best wishes and hope.

Much love Tina xx

msfanciful

Well this makes a lot of
Well this makes a lot of sense to me as well.

For the last 31years of my life I've lived under the constant stress of having the most dysfunctional family one could ever imagine.

Oftentimes people would ask me how is it you seem so happy?

Well I should say holding all that pain inside for so long had finally caught up with me.

But I will say this... from this point on I have rid myself of all things toxic in my life and if I have anything to do with it stress will no longer be a contributing factor to this cancer and maybe that in itself will be enough to extend my life for quite some time.

Carlene I must say you are an impressive researcher. Thank you so much for sharing this news.


Much love,

Sharon