Breast Cancer: Anti-Stress Hormone Enkephalin Linked To Increased Health Risk In Women

Researchers at Lund University have linked low levels of the hormone enkephaline to an increased risk of breast cancer in women--a hormone comprised of pain and anxiety-reducing properties that reinforces the immune system by directly affecting immune cells.

"This is the first time the role of enkephalin in breast cancer has been studied in humans, and the results were surprisingly clear. Among women with the lowest levels of the hormone, the risk of breast cancer was more than three times that of the women with the highest levels of the hormone. This is one of the strongest correlations between cancer risk and a freely circulating biomarker ever described," said Olle Melander and Mattias Belting, both professors at Lund University and consultant physicians at Skåne University Hospital, in a news release.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on over 1,900 women. Then they followed up regarding breast cancer for an average of about 15 years.

Findings revealed a correlation between low encephalin concentration in the blood and an increased risk of breast cancer. However, researchers are still uncertain as to whether this creates a causal relationship between them.

They are hopeful that with future studies, the results may facilitate prevention and early detection of breast cancer. Furthermore, for those who are at an increased risk of breast cancer, potential preventive treatments could take the form of lifestyle interventions that help to reduce stress.

"Our immediate plan is to investigate how to affect the level of enkephalin in healthy individuals. We will do this primarily in a study with a smaller number of women. We are also interested in the hormone's role in other cancers," said Olle Melander and Mattias Belting.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of Clinical Oncology. 

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