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. 2020 Nov:121:104866.
doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104866. Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Within-person changes in cancer-related distress predict breast cancer survivors' inflammation across treatment

Megan E Renna  1 , M Rosie Shrout  2 , Annelise A Madison  3 , Catherine M Alfano  4 , Stephen P Povoski  5 , Adele M Lipari  5 , Doreen M Agnese  5 , William E Carson 3rd  5 , Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser  6
Affiliations

Within-person changes in cancer-related distress predict breast cancer survivors' inflammation across treatment

Megan E Renna et al. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Among breast cancer survivors, elevated inflammation has been linked to greater recurrence risk. Psychological processes, such as cancer-related distress, can pose threats to a survivor's longevity and wellbeing. Although distress can heighten inflammation, little is known about how fluctuations in distress during and after treatment impact a woman's own inflammation - the primary question of this study.

Methods: Breast cancer survivors (n = 165, stages 0-III) completed a baseline visit before treatment and two follow-up visits 6 and 18 months after. At each visit, women completed the Impact of Events Scale to assess cancer-related distress, and a blood sample was collected to measure proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8. This longitudinal study related fluctuations in survivor's own cancer-related distress (i.e., within-person effects), as well as average effects of cancer-related distress between survivors (i.e., between-person effects) to inflammatory changes across visits.

Results: Women had elevated inflammation at visits where they expressed more cancer-related distress than what was typical. In contrast, the average cancer-related distress was not associated with inflammation.

Conclusion: Larger increases in a women's cancer-related distress was linked with higher inflammation across visits. Comparing a survivor's own cancer-related distress to her average levels may prove useful in identifying links between distress and inflammation.

Keywords: Avoidance; Cancer survivors; Cancer-related distress; Inflammation; Intrusive thoughts.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report.

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