Anewstudyfindsalinkbetweenaggressivebreastcancerandstress.Buttheleadresearchersuggeststhefindingsraiseasmanyquestionsastheyanswer.Thestudyincludedabout1,000breastcancerpatientsinChicago-white,blackandLatina.Soonafterdiagnosis,thewomenwereinterviewedtoassesstheirlevelofstress.Theresearchers,ledbyGarthH.RauscheroftheUniversityofIllinoisatChicago,comparedthestressscoreswiththeraceofthepatientandtheaggressivenessoftheircancers."BlackandHispanicpatientsreportedgreaterlevelsofstressthanwhitesdid,"Rauschersays."Andwealsofoundthatpatientsreportinggreaterstressweremorelikelytohavemoreaggressivetumors."PreviousresearchhadfoundthatAmericanblackandLatinawomenhave,atthetimetheyarediagnosed,moreaggressivecancersthanwhitewomen.Butresearcherscan'tdecideifthat'sbecauseminoritywomenaresomehowmoresusceptibletoaggressivetumors,orbecause,forsocioeconomicreasons,theircancersaremorelikelynotdiagnoseduntilthediseasehasadvancedtoamoreaggressivestage.So,ishavingtheaggressivediseasecausingthestress,orisstresscausingthedisease?Maybesomethirdfactorisinvolved.Rauscheradmitshe'sstillalongwayfromtheanswer."Andsoit'saverycomplicatedissuetoteaseoutwhatthismeans,otherthantosaythatitsuggeststhepossibilitythattheremaybeabiologicroleofstressinthedevelopmentofbreasttumorsthatwarrantsfurtherresearch."Theresearcherswereonlyabletodothestressinterviewafterwomenwerediagnosedwithbreastcancer,sotheyhadtoassumethatthelevelofstressfacedbythepatientswasthesamebeforetheirdiagnosisthanafter.ButRauscherconcedesthatisalimitationofhisstudy."Thereforeit'spossible-evenlikely-thattheprocessofdiagnosisandtheprocessofbeingtreatedinfluencedwhattheytoldusabouttheirlevelofstress."Raucher,whopresentedhisstudyatameetingoftheAmericanAssociationforCancerResearchinWashington,saysmoreresearchisneededtobetterunderstandtherelationshipbetweenstressandbreastcancer.Foralotofreasons,it'sprobablygoodtominimizestressinourlives.Buthecautionsthathisresearchdoesnotmeanthatpeoplewhohavehadastressfulexperiencearenecessarilyatgreaterriskofaggressivebreastcancer.
