Stress and depression are associated with shorter survival in head and neck cancer patients

Studies have shown that stress can affect the immune system and weaken the body's defense against infection and disease. In cancer patients this stress can also affect a tumor's ability to grow and spread. However, the biological mechanisms that underlie such associations are not well understood. Now, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center find that poor psychosocial functioning is associated with greater vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression––a signaling protein that not only stimulates tumor growth, but is also associated with shorter disease-free survival in head and neck cancer patients.

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