Dermal biomarkers in cancer patients: Monitoring subjective health objectively

Abstract

205 Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy among women worldwide. Increased levels of oxidative stress are associated with breast cancer incidence. This study assesses physical, behavioral, and subjective health correlates of oxidative stress and associations between oxidative stress and breast cancer stage. Methods: Current and previous breast cancer patients were asked to participate in this cross-sectional study. After assessing Electronic Medical Record (EMR), a sample of 149 patients met the inclusion criteria. A final sample of 102 (68%) were enrolled. Patients’ skin carotenoid scores (SCS), a dermal measure of oxidative stress, were recorded. Patient demographics, physical health (breast cancer stage, treatment status, weight, height) health behaviors (smoking status, diet) and subjective health (anxiety and self-rated health) were ascertained. Results: No correlation between breast cancer stage and SCS was found. SCS was associated with behavioral health, weight and height (p<0.05), a finding consistent with previous research. A multivariate linear regression analysis, controlling for all covariates, found the two subjective health measures to be associated with SCS scores; the presence of anxiety was associated with lower SCS scores, a novel finding (β=-0.48, 95% CI -0.93, -0.035). Moreover, self-rated health was inversely correlated with SCS, showing those with lower self-reported quality levels paradoxically had higher levels of SCS (β=19.89, 95% CI 6.12, 33.67). Conclusions: Although oxidative stress as measured by SCS may not be associated with breast cancer staging, future research should explore the causal relationship between oxidative stress and subjective stress. Results suggest an unknown biochemical mechanism linking increased levels of oxidative stress with lower subjective health scores. Findings of the study indicate the possibility of utilizing SCS as an objective correlate to gauge an individual’s subjective stress levels in order to optimize cancer treatment.