Neurobiological and psychological evidence of chronic stress in prostate cancer patients

• Published in: European journal of cancer care Vol. 26; no. 6; pp. e12671 - n/a
• Main Authors: Sharpley, C.F., Christie, D.R.H., Bitsika, V., Agnew, L.L., Andronicos, N.M., McMillan, M.E., Richards, T.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Hindawi Limited 01.11.2017
• Subjects: Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Anxiety Disorders - metabolism; Anxiety Disorders - psychology; Australia - epidemiology; Cancer; Chronic Disease; Chronic illnesses; Cortisol; Hormones; Humans; Hydrocortisone - metabolism; Male; male cancers; Males; Middle Aged; Neurobiology; Nursing; Patients; Prevalence; Prostate cancer; Prostatic Neoplasms - epidemiology; Prostatic Neoplasms - metabolism; Prostatic Neoplasms - psychology; psychological; Saliva; Saliva - chemistry; Stress; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - metabolism; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Subgroups; Australia; prostate cancer; psychological; male cancers
• ISSN: 0961-5423; 1365-2354
• DOI: 10.1111/ecc.12671

To measure the prevalence and severity of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), hypo‐ and hypercortisolaemia, and their association in a sample of prostate cancer (PCa) patients, 97 Australian PCa patients completed a background questionnaire and the GAD‐7, and provided a sample of saliva collected 30–45 min after waking. The mean GAD7 score was 9.67 (SD = 3.09), and prevalence rates for current anxiety were higher than those reported for non‐PCa males of a similar age. Mean salivary cortisol concentrations (30.78 nmol/L, SD = 13.97 nmol/L) were also higher than for age‐comparative non‐PCa men. There was a significant inverse correlation between GAD and cortisol (r = −. 209, p < .05), and four subgroups of GAD‐cortisol patients were able to be identified, with evidence of both hyper‐ and hypocortisolaemia. These findings provide initial neurobiological evidence of the chronic and profound nature of stress experienced by PCa patients, and also suggest a possible measure that might be used to identify most at‐risk PCa patients.