Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 Dec;119:406-421. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.011. Epub 2020 Oct 18.
Breast cancer diagnosis, surgery, adjuvant therapies and survivorship can all be extremely stressful. In women, concerns about body image are common as a result of the disease and can affect interpersonal relationships, possibly leading to social isolation, increasing the likelihood for mood disorders. This is particularly relevant as women are at greater risk to develop anxiety and depressive symptoms in response to highly stressful situations. Here we address the mechanisms and the pathways activated as a result of stress and contributing to changes in the pathophysiology of breast cancer, as well as the potential of stress management factors and interventions in buffering the deleterious effects of chronic stress in a gender perspective. An improved understanding of the biological mechanisms linking stress-management resources to health-relevant biological processes in breast cancer patients could reveal novel therapeutic targets and help clarifying which psychosocial interventions can improve cancer outcomes, ultimately offering a unique opportunity to improve contemporary cancer treatments.
乳腺癌的诊断、手术、辅助治疗和生存都可能会带来极大的压力。女性由于疾病常担心身体形象，这可能会影响人际关系，导致社交孤立，增加情绪障碍的可能性。这在女性对高压力情况更易产生焦虑和抑郁症状的情况下尤为相关。在这里，我们将讨论应激导致的机制和途径，以及它们对乳腺癌病理生理学变化的影响，以及应激管理因素和干预措施在从性别角度缓冲慢性应激的有害影响的潜力。更好地理解将压力管理资源与乳腺癌患者健康相关生物过程联系起来的生物学机制，可以揭示新的治疗靶点，并有助于阐明哪些心理社会干预可以改善癌症结局，最终为改善当代癌症治疗提供独特的机会。
