{"id":68680,"date":"2022-06-15T14:22:10","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T18:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=68680"},"modified":"2025-10-03T11:51:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T15:51:14","slug":"does-stress-cause-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/does-stress-cause-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Stress Cause Cancer? The Disturbing Answer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Does stress cause cancer? How can stress lead to growth of cancerous cells?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book When the Body Says No, <\/em>Dr. Gabor Mat\u00e9 explains that certain cancers result from hormonal changes, and hormones can be affected by stress. Therefore, chronic stress<\/a> can cause a domino effect, eventually leading to the growth of cancerous cells in the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a look at the link between stress and cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of\u00a0Shortform\u2019s guide to stress<\/a>. If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress and Cancer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Does stress cause cancer? In looking at cancer, we can see some commonalities in personal characteristics. Mat\u00e9 explains that all humans have damaged and abnormal (even malignant) cells in our bodies. The vast majority never become cancer, however, because the immune system works to repair the damage, or the cells die off before they replicate. According to Mat\u00e9, this means that for any cancer to occur, cell damage alone is not enough; there must also be some failure of the immune system that allows the damaged cells to continue replicating unchecked.<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mat\u00e9 cites research that shows that stress inhibits immune processes. The PNI (psychoneuroimmunoendocrine<\/em>) system creates conditions that either facilitate or inhibit the growth of cancer<\/a> cells, and we know that psychological processes and emotion affect the PNI system. Several studies on psychosocial factors related to cancer have found the biggest risk factor is repressed emotions<\/a><\/em>, specifically feelings of anger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: As evidence for Mat\u00e9\u2019s claim that medical research and practice don\u2019t substantially address the psychosocial histories of patients, the comprehensive historical overview of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies<\/em><\/a>, focuses almost entirely on the biological makeup and treatment of the disease. Although the author does address failure of the immune system as a direct contributor to tumor growth, he does not substantially investigate psychological contributors to immune suppression.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breast Cancer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer are all hormone-related cancers. Mat\u00e9 describes research in which no link was found between stress and breast cancer, so the conclusion was that there was no correlation. However, Mat\u00e9 raises an important critique that calls this conclusion into question: In the conclusions, it was stated that the risk factors are primarily genetic <\/em>and hormonal<\/em>. But, Mat\u00e9 points out that only 7% of breast cancer patients are genetically high-risk, so that can\u2019t be considered a strong link. And perhaps more importantly, it is well-documented that hormones are influenced by stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other research described by Mat\u00e9, psychosocial factors have<\/em> been linked to breast cancer, including: emotional distance from parents as children; repression of emotions, especially anger; lack of supportive relationships<\/a>; and, \u201ccompulsive caregiving\u201d tendencies (self-sacrifice). He cites two different studies in which researchers could predict with 94-96% accuracy which women would be diagnosed with breast cancer based only on these psychosocial factors. <\/strong>Similar results have been shown with studies on ovarian cancer. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: A 2001 study of breast cancer patients in China showed that those who scored the highest for positive relationships with spouses, families, and friends had a 38% lower incidence of mortality and a 48% lower incidence of recurrence of the disease than those who had poorer relationships. Additionally, the researchers were surprised by the finding that physical well-being was less<\/em> important than supportive relationships in the women\u2019s survival<\/a> and continued health. This effect was strongest in the first year or so after diagnosis.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prostate Cancer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even though it\u2019s known that prostate cancer is inextricably linked to hormones, and hormone balance to stress, Mat\u00e9 says there have been no<\/em> studies investigating the link between psychosocial factors and prostate cancer. But it has <\/em>been linked to environmental factors\u2014Black American men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer as white American men<\/strong>. In seeking to explain why this might be the case, Mat\u00e9 says it can\u2019t be racially genetic, because Black American men are six times<\/em> more likely to get it than men in Nigeria. Therefore, he theorizes that it\u2019s likely due to the<\/strong> social pressures <\/em><\/strong>of being a Black man in America, including the chronic stresses of dealing with racism, as well as a lack of community and family support networks <\/strong>that tend to be more common in Black American communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Racial Health Disparities<\/a> in America <\/strong>

A number of health disparities exist between racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases<\/a>, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. Research hasn\u2019t shown a biological or genetic factor that can account for these disparities, so the cause for this has been attributed to: 

– Access to health care:<\/strong> Minority groups in America are more likely to live in poverty and therefore have less access to health care.

– Poor nutrition:<\/strong> Those groups are also less likely to have access to a healthy, nutritious diet.

– Exposure to toxins:<\/strong> Disadvantaged communities are more likely to have poor air quality and housing conditions that could lead to exposure to contaminants, such as lead.

– Stress:<\/strong> Not only does poverty create stressful conditions, but daily experience of (or even the anticipation of) discrimination associated with being a person of color in America can cause low-grade chronic stress reactions<\/a>. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lung Cancer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prevailing theories state that cancers result from damage to the DNA of cells. In the case of lung cancer in smokers, some of that damage is caused by the tobacco product. Mat\u00e9 says that we know this damage happens, but it doesn\u2019t explain why some<\/em> smokers get lung cancer and others don\u2019t. So, he says, there have to be other factors at play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mat\u00e9 cites two different studies that showed a link between lung cancer and repressed emotion, especially anger. Particularly compelling is a long-term study described by Mat\u00e9 that was done in former Yugoslavia. Around 1,400 participants were given extensive medical and psychological testing. Of the 1,400, over 600 were dead 10 years later, at which point the researchers analyzed causes of death along with the psychological profiles. In the conclusions described by Mat\u00e9, the #1 risk factor for death, especially for cancer, was \u201crationality and anti-emotionality\u201d (R\/A)\u2014meaning those who repressed emotions<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, cancer death was 40 times higher in those who scored the highest in the category for repressed emotion. <\/strong>Researchers were able to correctly predict which people would die of cancer in 78% of cases based on just their scores on R\/A and feelings of hopelessness. (Shortform note: Since the Yugoslavian study, similar research has been undertaken in Japan, with the opposite findings. In Japan, rationality\/anti-emotionality was associated with lower prevalence of all categories of disease<\/a>. This suggests that there may be a cultural difference at play regarding expectations of emotional display.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does stress cause cancer? How can stress lead to growth of cancerous cells? In his book When the Body Says No, Dr. Gabor Mat\u00e9 explains that certain cancers result from hormonal changes, and hormones can be affected by stress. Therefore, chronic stress can cause a domino effect, eventually leading to the growth of cancerous cells in the body. Here’s a look at the link between stress and cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":65835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,160],"tags":[641],"class_list":["post-68680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-science","tag-when-the-body-says-no","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nDoes Stress Cause Cancer? 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