Abstract 4270
Background
Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the deadliest gynaecologic cancers predominantly of the epithelial subtype (EOC). Despite advances in treatments, relapse and dissemination is very likely to occur after remission. The heterogenous nature and complex immunosuppressive environment of the tumour implicate a heterogenous clinical outcome and a key role for the immune system in the disease prognosis. Diagnosis and treatment of cancer is often a traumatic experience associated with mental and physical comorbidities, cortisol is released in response to stress and has a controversial role to either promote or suppress stress depending on its physiological environment. Strong evidence is showing that stress hormones can influence tumour biology. In this study, the impact of cortisol on splenocytes and T cells and immune-cancer interactions were explored to probe a mechanism for its action in OC.
Methods
C57BL/6j mice were either subjected to chronic restraint stress for 2 hours a day over a period of six weeks or left alone in their home cages (no stress group). Splenocytes were then extracted and first examined for DNA damage measured by immunofluorescence using phosphorylated γ-H2AX. Splenocytes were next co-cultured with ovarian spheroids for five days and spheroids size and splenocytes infiltration were compared against no stress group. The impact of acute stress on DNA damage was tested in vitro on T lymphocytes subjected to physiological concentration of cortisol for 2h.
Results
Chronic stress significantly increased DNA damage in mouse splenocytes (p = 0.0027). Ex vivo T lymphocytes exposed to cortisol also showed a significant increase in DNA damage (p = 0.017). Furthermore, a significant increase in the size of spheroids co-cultured with splenocytes from stress group was observed (p = 0.0213) and cortisol inhibited immune cell trafficking into the spheroids.
Conclusions
In conclusion, both chronic stress and acute exposure to cortisol can increase DNA damage in splenocytes and T lymphocytes reducing their infiltration into cancer spheroids. This data may have impact for patient with ovarian cancer experiencing extreme stress.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The author.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
The author has declared no conflicts of interest.
Resources from the same session
3683 - Impact of Radiotherapy on efficacy of anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibodies in metastatic NSCLC
Presenter: Evangeline Samuel
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
3924 - Pembrolizumab frontline monotherapy in patients with NSCLC and high PD-L1 expression: Real World Data from a European Cohort with focus on subgroups of interest
Presenter: Giannis Mountzios
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
3970 - Patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and PD-L1 expression in Germany. Treatment and first outcome from the prospective German Registry Platform CRISP (AIO-TRK-0315)
Presenter: Martin Sebastian
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
5350 - The efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab as a first-line therapy in PD-L1 50% positive advanced NSCLC (HOPE-001)
Presenter: Motohiro Tamiya
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
3832 - Osimertinib in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): analysis of patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases in a real-world study (ASTRIS)
Presenter: Giulio Metro
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
4082 - Real-world (RW) treatment patterns and outcomes for second-line (2L) therapy and beyond in patients (pts) with epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) advanced NSCLC receiving a first-line (1L) first- or second-generation (1G/2G) EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)
Presenter: Riyaz Shah
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
2855 - Impact of ramucirumab (RAM) + erlotinib (ERL) on EGFR mutations in circulating tumor DNA – The 1st report of a biomarker study in Japanese patients from RELAY: Global Ph3 study of ERL + RAM or placebo (PL) in 1L metastatic NSCLC with EGFR activating mutations
Presenter: Kazuto Nishio
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
2911 - Apatinib combined with EGFR - TKI in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR - TKI resistance
Presenter: Ruifen Tian
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
2100 - Updated analysis of a phase I trial of afatinib (Afa) and bevacizumab (Bev) in chemo-naïve patients (pts) with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR-mutations: OLCSG1404
Presenter: Takashi Ninomiya
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract
4325 - Multiple synchronous mechanisms may contribute to osimertinib resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients: insights of the MATCH-R study
Presenter: Diego Enrico
Session: Poster Display session 1
Resources:
Abstract