Stress hormones are known to increase the chances that a person will develop a wide range of health problems ERIC GAILLARD/REUTERSCancer patients should be offered anti-anxiety therapy such as meditation and beta-blockers, according to a scientist who has found evidence that stress can blunt the power of chemotherapy. Stress hormones are known to increase the chances that a person will develop a wide range of health problems, including some cancers. Yet the role that such chemicals play is complex and researchers are only beginning to understand their effects. Melanie Flint and her colleagues at the University of Brighton found that stress hormones can obstruct the work of paclitaxel, a frontline drug for a particularly deadly form of breast cancer. Their work also points towards an antidote in the form of medicines that shelter tumours from the effects of stress.

Source: The Times August 31, 2017 23:03 UTC