Medical Hypotheses
Volume 55, Issue 2 , Pages 137-140, August 2000

Immune reaction links disease progression in cancer patients with depression☆

  • C. Murr

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry
    • ,
  • B. Widner

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry
    • ,
  • B. Sperner-Unterweger

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry
    • ,
  • M. Ledochowski

      Affiliations

    • Internal Medicine, Institute for Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry
    • ,
  • C. Schubert

      Affiliations

    • Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Innsbruck
    • ,
  • D. Fuchs

      Affiliations

    • Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of AIDS-Research, Innsbruck, Austria

Received 23 August 1999; accepted 22 October 1999.

Abstract 

Mood disturbances and depression are supposed to have a negative impact on patients’ outcome in malignant tumour disease. On the other hand, poor prognosis in cancer patients is associated with chronic immune challenge which is paralleled by enhanced degradation of the essential amino acid tryptophan and thus decreased plasma tryptophan concentrations. Because tryptophan is precursor for the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin (= 5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT), low tryptophan concentrations will lead to decreased availability of serotonin which finally increases the susceptibility for the development of mood disturbances and depression in the patients. Thus, the development of depression in cancer patients may result from chronic cellular immune stimulation. In conclusion, a more aggressive tumour rather than depression will be responsible for worse outcome of cancer patients and will be associated with a more drastic challenge of the immune system, as a side effect leading to neurotransmitter disturbances.

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☆ Grants: This work was supported in part by the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (GZ 70.024/2-Pr/4/97).

PII: S0306-9877(99)91043-5

doi:10.1054/mehy.1999.1043

Medical Hypotheses
Volume 55, Issue 2 , Pages 137-140, August 2000

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