title: Psychological Stress and Immunological Modulations in Early-stage Melanoma Patients.
abstract: Mental stress may have a negative impact on the immune state of cancer patients, in whom immunologic surveillance is essential for survival. This study investigated the immunological response of 19 patients with early-stage melanoma and a matched control group undergoing the Determination Stress Test before surgery. Cytokine and chemokine levels and lymphocyte subpopulations were measured at baseline and post-stress test time-points. Following the stress test lower levels of interleukin (IL)-6 were observed in the melanoma group compared with healthy volunteers (p = 0.044). IL-10 increased significantly in the control group 30 min after the stress test (p = 0.002) in comparison with the melanoma group (p = 0.407). CCL5/Rantes decreased significantly in the melanoma group, whereas CD16/CD56+ natural killer cells increased in both groups, with a sharp decrease below baseline after stress in the melanoma group (p = 0.001). This pilot study shows an altered immunological response to stressors in melanoma patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Austria Auenbruggerplatz 8 , AT-8036 Graz, Austria. erika.richtig@medunigraz.at.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Richtig
authors.forename: Eva Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Trapp
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avian
authors.forename: Hans Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Brezinsek
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trapp
authors.forename: Josef Wilhelm
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Egger
authors.forename: Hans Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Kapfhammer
authors.forename: Peter Michael
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rohrer
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berghold
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Curiel-Lewandrowski
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Demel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D018925:Chemokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016753:Interleukin-10