Stress May Hasten The Growth Of Melanoma Tumors

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090130093409.htm

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2009) — For patients with a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer – malignant melanoma – stress, including that which comes from simply hearing that diagnosis, might amplify the progression of their disease.

But the same new research that infers this also suggests that the use of commonly prescribed blood pressure medicines might slow the development of those tumors and therefore improve these patients’ quality of life.
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The research is showing not only that different forms of cancer react differently to stress hormones but also that those reactions can vary within a specific form of the disease, with the possibility of a more aggressive form of the disease reacting more strongly to the stressors.