Abstract # 3095 Anxiety, pro-inflammatory Cytokines, and RAGE-associated S100A8/A9 levels in breast cancer patients

Abstract

Introduction The link between anxiety and breast cancer outcomes has recently been a topic of interest in behavioral medicine, and threat-associated distress states may be associated with increased inflammation, which is relevant for breast cancer recurrence. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between post-surgical anxiety levels, pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1- β , IL-6, and TNF- α , and ligands associated with the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE). Activation of RAGE can trigger pathways that promote inflammation. To date, no studies have linked anxiety with RAGE ligands in breast cancer patients. Method Stage 0-III breast cancer patients (ages 32–69) were recruited 2–10 weeks post-surgery and interviewed with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA) and provided blood samples before initiating adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation. Results Using linear regression, we found that after controlling for treatment condition, age, stage, body mass index (BMI), time since surgery, and type of surgery, anxiety severity related to significantly greater levels of S100A8/A9 (p = .035) and IL-1- β (p = .022), and marginally with IL-6 (p =.077) and TNF- α (p = .051). Conclusion Anxiety may relate to markers of inflammation in breast cancer patients at an early point in their treatment. Because inflammatory processes may increase odds of metastasis, addressing anxiety early in the post-surgical period may have future health effects in breast cancer patients.