Stress, immunity, and cervical cancer: biobehavioral outcomes of a randomized clinical trial [corrected].
OBJECTIVE
Cancer diagnosis and treatment imparts chronic stressors affecting quality of life (QOL) and basic physiology. However, the capacity to increase survival by improving QOL is controversial. Patients with cervical cancer, in particular, have severely compromised QOL, providing a population well-suited for the evaluation of novel psychosocial interventions and the exploration of mechanisms by which modulation of the psychoneuroimmune axis might result in improved clinical outcomes.


METHODS
A randomized clinical trial was conducted in cervical cancer survivors that were enrolled at >or=13 and <22 months after diagnosis (n=50), comparing a unique psychosocial telephone counseling (PTC) intervention to usual care. QOL and biological specimens (saliva and blood) were collected at baseline and 4 months post-enrollment.


RESULTS
The PTC intervention yielded significantly improved QOL (P=0.011). Changes in QOL were significantly associated with a shift of immune system T helper type 1 and 2 (Th1/Th2) bias, as measured by IFN-gamma/interleukin-5 ELISpot T lymphocyte precursor frequency; improved QOL being associated with increased Th1 bias (P=0.012). Serum interleukin-10 and the neuroendocrine variables of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone revealed trends supporting this shift in immunologic stance and suggested a PTC-mediated decrease of the subject's chronic stress response.


CONCLUSIONS
This study documents the utility of a unique PTC intervention and an association between changes in QOL and adaptive immunity (T helper class). These data support the integration of the chronic stress response into biobehavioral models of cancer survivorship and suggests a novel mechanistic hypotheses by which interventions leading to enhanced QOL could result in improved clinical outcome including survival.
Nelson
Edward L
EL
Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA. enelson@uci.edu
Wenzel
Lari B
LB
Osann
Kathryn
K
Dogan-Ates
Aysun
A
Chantana
Nissa
N
Reina-Patton
Astrid
A
Laust
Amanda K
AK
Nishimoto
Kevin P
KP
Chicz-DeMet
Alexandra
A
du Pont
Nefertiti
N
Monk
Bradley J
BJ
D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007109:Immunity; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013689:Telephone; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology*
D015848:Interleukin-5; D016753:Interleukin-10; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D006854:Hydrocortisone