Epidemiological study in relation to stress-related hormones and breast cancer risk and survival

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23390169
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Epidemiology and preventive medicine
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: MINAMI YUKO 東北大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (60239316)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TSUJI Ichiro 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (20171994) ; HOSOKAWA Toru 東北大学, 教育学研究科, 教授 (60091740) ; KAKUGAWA Yoichiro 独立行政法人宮城県立病院機構宮城県立がんセンター, がん薬物療法研究部, 特任研究員 (60221173) ; KAWAI Masaaki 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 助教 (80513530)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OHUCHI Noriaki 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (90203710) ; NISHINO Yoshikazu 独立行政法人宮城県立病院機構宮城県立がんセンター, がん疫学・予防研究部, 部長 (70302099)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 乳がん / コホート / パーソナリティー / 心理的要因 / 生活習慣 / エストロゲン / 副腎皮質ホルモン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We clarified the relations of psychological factors and hormonal environments to breast cancer risk and survival, based on various data analyses. The analyses of data from the Miyagi Cohort and the patient cohort in Miyagi showed that psychological factors were associated with survival after the diagnosis of breast cancer, especially premenopausal cancer. There was no association between psychological factors and breast cancer risk. The analyses of serum and breast tissue hormone levels among postmenopausal patients indicated that hormonal environments were strongly associated with lifestyle factors. The association of hormone levels with psychological factors was weak. The effects of psychological factors including stress and the change of hormonal environments by stress on survival of postmenopausal breast cancer may be small compared with those of lifestyle factors. In future, further studies targeting premenopausal patients are required to improve the prognosis of breast cancer.

Free Research Field

疫学