Stress and Depression impact cancer survivor

Thank you to this latest study (because we needed another study) illustrating how I am doomed. I have two cancer diagnoses  under my belt. So I am a tad stressed at times. Wouldn't you be? I mean cancer? Twice? Thats a bit stressful. And its kind of depressing as well.

"A disease like cancer can be a mortal battle, often fraught with overwhelming stress. Given that stress management can be difficult even under ordinary circumstances, elevated feelings of anxiety and depression in cancer patients are certainly understandable.

Yet, several recent studies underscore how critically important it is for those fighting illness to learn how to combat stress. A team of researchers led by Lorenzo Cohen, professor of general oncology and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, found that symptoms of depression among a group of patients with late-stage renal cell carcinoma were associated with an increased risk of death."

This was published in August in PLOS ONE, a scientific journal full of big words which you can read here.

Thank you. I am more stressed because you say my stress and depression will kill me. I don't have renal cancer (yet) but I am sure they will do more studies and tell us how it will affect other cancers. You made my day.

Stressed? Depressed?

Is there anyone who can claim they are either not stressed or not depressed? No. Especially cancer patients. Cancer patients are (I think) 25-30% more likely to suffer from depression and a cancer diagnosis is a tiny bit stressful.

There was a new study (because we needed a new study to keep all those researchers busy) that shows that stress and depression '...primes the bone environment for breast cancer cell metastasis.' Well, how do I become unstressed and undepressed about a cancer diagnosis? If they can't cure cancer, why can't they at least fix the stress and depression?

We could be happy and relaxed cancer patients instead of stressed and depressed cancer patients and help prevent breast cell colonization of bone - another fancy term from the article. 

The goal of cancer treatment is to prevent metastases so this is another area to focus on.