The negative effects of stress on the human body are already
common knowledge, but feeling stressed could also play a role in
the development of cervical cancer, suggests a report in the
February issue of Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
The researchers questioned 78 women who had had abnormal Pap
tests (a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and
looked at under a microscope) about their day to day stress level,
and compared the results with those obtained from 28 women who had
not received an abnormal Pap test.
According to their findings, there is a strong link between
stress and cervical cancer.
"Women who reported higher levels of perceived stress —
regardless of what was actually happening in their life — showed an
impaired immune response to HPV," said Carolyn Fang, a psychologist
at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and lead author of the
study.
Cervical cancer is the second most common form of cancer among
women after breast cancer. Almost 250,000 people suffering from
this disease die every year, according to the World Health
Organization.
One of the factors that could lead to the development of
cervical cancer is the human papilloma virus (HPV), especially the
HPV 16 subtype. The HPV is spread during sexual intercourse, but in
the case of healthy women, it disappears spontaneously over
time.
However, it's too early to sound the alarm, Fang added. More
research is needed to confirm the finding and show that reducing
stress improves the body's ability to fight off HPV.
A national survey conducted last year by the American
Psychological Association revealed that extreme stress is a
condition one third of Americans are struggling with, endangering
their health, relationships and work productivity.
According to the American Psychological Association nearly 48
percent of the population believe stress has intensified over the
past five years.
(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2008)