Govindasamy Ilangovan, PhD
Govindasamy Ilangovan, PhD, associate professor of cardiovascular medicine, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus.
Doctors used to encourage cancer patients to conduct their lives in whatever way they choose while undergoing treatment — those who want to work and push themselves hard could continue to do so, while those who felt the desire or need to retreat from the stresses of everyday life were encouraged to do that as well. However, research suggests that when cancer patients experience extreme emotional or physical stress, even from vigorous exercise, their treatment may be less effective. While a healthy person may reap all sorts of physical and psychological benefits from a brisk run or a demanding class at the gym, this new study suggests that it may be better to take it easy before and after radiation or chemotherapy.
In a laboratory at The Ohio State University in Columbus, associate professor of cardiovascular medicine Govindasamy Ilangovan, PhD, and his team examined the impact of stress on breast cancer cells subjected to radiation or chemotherapy. Where cancer therapy normally damages DNA in cancer cells and kills them, the researchers found that intense physical or psychological stress interrupts this process. The stress ends up creating “distress,” which induces production of a protein known as heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1). This, in turn, sparks a series of events — specifically elevating levels of the stress-sensitive protein Hsp27 — that allows cancer cells to survive by inhibiting apoptosis (cancer cell death). As a result, the tumor continues to grow unchecked.
In his experiments, Dr. Ilangovan found that…
These conclusions were published on-line in the September 2010 issue of the journal Molecular Cancer Research. The investigators expect that this mechanism will hold true for people (not just for laboratory cell samples) and also that the results will likely apply to other cancers as well — specifically to additional cancers that originate in glandular organs, including the lungs, breasts, colon, prostate, pancreas, stomach and cervix. Further research will explore this effect in the real world.
While the siRNA molecule itself isn’t a treatment option outside the laboratory, Dr. Ilangovan and his colleagues are trying to develop a drug that has the same effect. In the meantime, they recommend that cancer patients should take care to avoid physical and emotional stress during cancer treatment. Specifically, they suggest that cancer patients should …
Dr. Ilangovan told me that cancer patients shouldn’t stop exercising entirely before and after treatment, but rather should just keep exercise sessions light — for instance, engaging in gentle activities, such as yoga stretches or a relaxing swim. It’s also wise to do all you can to reduce emotional strain, which is frankly inevitable during cancer therapy. Some people prefer formal stress reducers, such as meditation or deep breathing, while others find relief simply through playing with grandchildren or playing cards. Choose whatever works best for you, and allow your body the time and space it needs to heal, physically and psychologically.