Glucocorticoids, Stress and Cancer: New Insights in Immune System and Tumour Cell Regulations

LUCIANA ROMINA FRICK; MAXIMILIANO RAPANELLI; GRACIELA ALICIA CREMASCHI; ANA MARÍA GENARO

Glucocorticoids: Effects, Action Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Uses.

Nova Science Publisher Inc.

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2010; p. 1 - 21

Glucocorticoids and catecholamines are considered the main stress hormones, whichare produced after the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) andthe autonomic nervous system (ANS) induced by an aversive stimulus. Interestingly,exposure to stressful situations has been associated with alterations in the incidence,progression and outcome of neoplastic processes. In addition, corticoids are often coadministeredin cancer patients as adjuvant treatment to chemo and radiotherapy. Cortisolhas been proposed as one of the hormones responsible of these alterations, in part giventhat stress and glucocorticoids alter different components of the immune system such aslymphocyte proliferation, cytotoxic and fagocytic activity, antibody and cytokineproduction, and redistribution of immune cells among the different lymphoid organs. Inaddition, glucocorticoids have direct effects on cancer cells, for example, they modulatethe expression of genes related to chemotherapy resistance, survival and apoptosisevasion in certain tumours. Moreover, some oncogenic virus such as human papilloma,hepatitis and Epstein-Barr viruses are susceptible to be regulated by glucocorticoids. Herewe review all these items and analyse the recent advances in this field obtained usinganimal models and clinical studies. Also, we discuss the novel discovery of the involvement of hypothalamic-pituitary thyroid (HPT) axis in these processes, and theregulation exerted by the HPA on thyroid hormones.