Abstract
Recent psychoneuroimmunlogical studies inspire the discussion about the influence of mental strain on the course of cancer. Adverse effects are documented for solid and hematological tumors. The underlying mechanisms are only partially understood.
Most studies investigated natural killer cells as most relevant immunological factors. But inconsistent results have led the focus towards direct neurohumoral mechanisms. Similar to basic oncological research, interactions with the tumor microenvironment are being examined. Current results permit only speculations about the interacting mechanisms. Further research would be of extraordinary significance for oncology because of shared pathophysiology.
Keywords
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.