Nervous system activation (often caused by stress) promotes tumor metastasis
A study by Cole et al, published in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, looked at the effect of the nervous system on cancer. From the study: “The peripheral autonomic nervous system (ANS) is known to regulate gene expression in primary tumours and their surrounding microenvironment. Activation of the sympathetic division of the ANS in particular modulates gene expression programmes that promote metastasis of solid tumours by stimulating macrophage infiltration, inflammation, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumour invasion, and by inhibiting cellular immune responses and programmed cell death.”