title: Chronic psychological stress and its impact on the development of aggressive breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinicopathological findings of women diagnosed with breast cancer and study the impact of chronic psychological stress on the pathological characteristics of these tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated a cohort composed of women diagnosed with breast cancer and divided into two groups. One group was categorized as presenting with chronic psychological stress (by using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire - SRQ-20). Another group of women with breast cancer, but with no previous history of chronic psychological stress, comprised the Control Group. Clinical and pathological data were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women presenting with a history of chronic distress were significantly overweight when compared to the Control Group. Furthermore, it was observed that these stressed women also had a significant percentage of aggressive breast cancer subtype, the HER2 amplified tumor, which could be putatively associated with the loss of immunosurveillance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggested an interaction among chronic psychological stress, overweight, and the development of more aggressive breast tumors.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thayse Fachin
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Cormanique
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lirane Elize Defante Ferreto de
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Hospital do Câncer de Francisco Beltrão, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cynthia Alba
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rech
authors.affiliation: Hospital do Câncer de Francisco Beltrão, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rech
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Londrina, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Cristina da Silva do Amaral
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Francisco Beltrão, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Panis
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015166:Monitoring, Immunologic; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases