Introduction: Nowadays cancer is one of the most important health issues and it is one of most common causes of death throughout the world. 1 in 8 people gets cancer daily. In modern societies, chronic stress has been involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases, consisting of cancer. This article aims to indicate the relationship between stress and cancer based on recent studies.
Methods: This article is a review study by searching databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed and SID using the keywords stress and cancer is done. As a result of the search, 7 articles were selected for review after studying.
Results: Most of studies demonstrate significant association between phycological stress and the onset and recurrence of cancer. Studies have revealed stress weakens the immune system and put body at risk of developing cancer cells. Chronic stress triggers the activation of specific signaling pathways in cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment, resulting in tumor growth and progression. it is reported that occurrence of oxidative stress due to increased active species and decreased efficiency of antioxidant defense system, stimulates angiogenesis and metastasis in cancer cells, which are major factors of spread and development of cancer.
Conclusion: Stress can results in occurrence of cancer and can accelerate cancer development and aggravate disease side-effects.