Cancer patients should follow the Princess of Wales’s example by engaging in mindful activities, such as spending time in nature, to help reduce the risk of their disease spreading, research suggests. Scientists who investigated the effect of the stress hormone cortisol on cancer cells found it may play a role in making tumours more resilient and harder to treat.
Cortisol levels typically fluctuate throughout the day and are highest in the morning and lowest in the evening. However, this circadian rhythm is disrupted in cancer patients, and their levels remain more constant. Research from Midwestern University in Phoenix, Arizona, found this “steady-state” increases the “stemness” of cells — a measure of their ability to renew, adapt and spread to drive tumour growth.
It also appeared to cause an increase in heterogeneity, making cell populations more diverse and harder to kill.
Dr Kimberley Bussey, an expert in chromosomes at Midwestern, said “having cancer itself is stressful”, so patients should try to both minimise stress and build systems to manage what cannot be eliminated.
She added: “Spending time with friends and family even if it is just hanging out or being in the same room together can help.
“Patients should, in as much as they can, do things that experts advise all of us to do to manage stress — exercise, get outside in nature, engage in mindfulness practices like journaling, meditation or deep breathing, eat a healthy diet, give back to others, get enough sleep.
“Every action they take will help and being consistent will also help. Again, while reducing stress is helpful, building the resilience to manage it is equally important.”
The Princess of Wales has described nature as a “sanctuary” during her recovery from cancer.
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A recent video marking her 44th birthday showed her walking in the woods and putting her hand in a stream. Catherine likened nature to “a quiet teacher, a soft voice that guides…helping us to heal”.
Lab experiments also showed that cortisol’s effect on cells was permanent and did not reverse when stress levels later dropped.
Dr Kimberley added: “There are arguments to be made for starting and ending the day with practices that reduce stress and promote quality sleep.
“The key is to find what works for individual patients.”
The findings were presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference in Phoenix.
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