Stress at work very unlikely to cause cancer

Work-related stress is not linked to the development of colorectal, lung, breast or prostate cancers, a study published today on bmj.com suggests.

Around 90% of cancers are linked to environmental exposures and whilst some exposures are well recognised (such as UV radiation and tobacco smoke), others are not (psychological factors such as stress).

Stress can cause chronic inflammation which has been shown to have various roles in the development of cancer, plus stressed individuals are more likely to smoke, consume excessive amounts of alcohol and be obese – all of which are cancer risk factors.

So far, only a few studies have examined the associations between work-related stress and cancer risk. These also had unclear conclusions.

Researchers from the IPD-Work Consortium, led by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College London therefore carried out a meta-analysis of 12 studies involving 116,000 participants aged 17 to 70, from Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and the UK.

Psychological stress at work was assessed using a validated measure, job strain. Job strain was categorised into: high strain job (high demands and low control), active job (high demands and high control), passive job (low demands and low control) and low strain job (low demands and high control).

Medical myth: stress causes cancer Cancer is a disease of the body’s cells that affects around half of all Australians by the age of 85. Normally cells grow and multiply in a controlled way. But if something causes a mistake to occur in the cells' genetic blueprints, this control can be lost.

There are a number of chemical, physical and biological agents that have been shown to trigger the mistakes in the cell blueprint that cause cancer – but stress isn’t one of them.

We all encounter short- and long-term stresses in our lives, such as work challenges, relationship problems and illness, which have varying degrees of psychological impact. Stress can be nature’s way to help energise us to deal with these adverse events.

But high levels of stress can lead to anxiety and depression. These are serious, often interconnected, mental health problems that can affect your ability to work, maintain relationships and lead a fulfilled life. But three decades of study have found no direct association between stress and cancer, not even when stress is high enough to cause an anxiety disorder or depression.

So if you want to reduce your risk of cancer, the most important thing you can do is avoid or reduce the known risk factors – such as smoking, being overweight, having a poor diet, being physically inactive, exposing yourself to UV radiation and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Avoiding these risk factors is known as adopting a “cancer-smart” lifestyle.