HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Stressful Events May Increase BC Recurrence Rate

Sandy in Silicon Valley · 09-28-2007, 04:07 PM

Hi,

As far as I could understand, there isn't any connection between the research about stressful events and the two physiological/chemical response articles cited by R.B. Of those two articles, the first, by Julian Lieb, an author who writes about bipolar disorder, is about lithium and other mood chemistry-altering drugs. It is largely theoretical, and not based on experimental research, but rather, from what little I can tell, appears to be anecdotally-and-petrie-dish-based.

The second study, of DHA "biofactors", is so small a study (41 subjects in all) as to be virtually insignificant, and in fact, no P= (significance) levels are given for any of the data. Plus, it seems to me a very tenuous line to extrapolate generalizations of scientific knowledge between these 3 studies.

I'm not dismissing that there may be some deeply embedded commonality among long-term trauma or more recent/current "stressful" life experiences (the one I loved was "living with a MIL"!) and their effects on bcmets recurrence rates, bipolar disorder drugs, and DHA manipulations of mood, but if these phenomena have anything clear in common, it is NOT demonstrated in these three articles, IMO.

(((hugs)))
Sandy in Silicon Valley

09-28-2007, 04:07 PM	#7
Sandy in Silicon Valley Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Silicon Valley, CA Posts: 76	I don't see the connection to the articles R.B. cited Hi, As far as I could understand, there isn't any connection between the research about stressful events and the two physiological/chemical response articles cited by R.B. Of those two articles, the first, by Julian Lieb, an author who writes about bipolar disorder, is about lithium and other mood chemistry-altering drugs. It is largely theoretical, and not based on experimental research, but rather, from what little I can tell, appears to be anecdotally-and-petrie-dish-based. The second study, of DHA "biofactors", is so small a study (41 subjects in all) as to be virtually insignificant, and in fact, no P= (significance) levels are given for any of the data. Plus, it seems to me a very tenuous line to extrapolate generalizations of scientific knowledge between these 3 studies. I'm not dismissing that there may be some deeply embedded commonality among long-term trauma or more recent/current "stressful" life experiences (the one I loved was "living with a MIL"!) and their effects on bcmets recurrence rates, bipolar disorder drugs, and DHA manipulations of mood, but if these phenomena have anything clear in common, it is NOT demonstrated in these three articles, IMO. (((hugs))) Sandy in Silicon Valley __________________ 1992 - age 44/ ER-/PR+ Stage II dx - mastectomy, CAF x 6 cycles; Tamoxifen 1997 - BRCA1 mutation dx'd 1998 - ovaries removed 1999 - off Tamoxifen, on Arimidex 2003 - dx'd Stage IV - lymph nodes & lungs. ER-/PR-/HER2neu+++. Tx: Herceptin & Taxotere (6 cycles). 2005 - 2.9cm x 3.6cm brain tumor. Craniotomy, CyberKnife. 9 mo. staph aureus infection at incision site - 2nd craniotomy. Two small brain mets CyberKnife'd. 2006 - revisit Xeloda - dosage lowered to 2500mg/day, 5 cycles. 2007 - "spot" dx'd on qtrly brain MRI - same location as CyberKnife 7/05. > by 2-4mm per quarter - - radiation injury or re-growing cancer? Tykerb added to Herceptin - July, still "watching & waiting". Otherwise, fully functional... "The majority of people are not only afraid of holding a wrong opinion, they are afraid of holding an opinion alone." Kierkegaard