Chronic Stress May Fuel Oral Cancer Through a Newly Traced Brain-Bone Marrow-Immune Circuit
· newswise.com · popularity 21/100 · 0 similar stories today · Cancer & Oncology (Health & Life Sciences)
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Summary
Chronic psychological stress is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for cancer, but how the brain communicates with the immune system to promote tumors has remained unclear. This study identifies a central nervous system-driven circuit in which chronic stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-bone marrow (HPB) axis, raising pituitary production of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and circulating α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). This neuroendocrine shift expands polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs) in the bone marrow, suppresses CD8+ T cells and promotes tumor growth. Pharmacological blockade of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MCSR) restored antitumor immunity and enhanced programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) checkpoint inhibition, suggesting a tractable strategy for stress-associated cancers.
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