摘要
Patients diagnosed with cancer often undergo considerable psychological distress,and the induction of the psychological stress response has been linked with a poor response to chemotherapy.The psychological stress response is mediated by fluctuations of the hormones glucocorticoids(GCs)and catecholamines.Binding to their respective receptors,GCs and the catecholamines adrenaline/noradrenaline are responsible for signalling a wide range of processes involved in cell survival,cell cycle and immune function.Synthetic GCs are also often prescribed as co-medication alongside chemotherapy,and increasing evidence suggests that GCs may induce chemoresistance in multiple cancer types.In this review,we bring together evidence linking psychological stress hormone signalling with resistance to chemo-and immune therapies,as well as mechanistic evidence regarding the effects of exogenous stress hormones on the efficacy of chemotherapies.
