A stressful life may make it tougher to fight the virus which causes the majority of cervical cancer cases, say scientists. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection - but only a small percentage of women who catch it develop cancer.
US researchers, writing in the journal Annals of Behavioural Medicine, said that stressed women had a weaker immune response to the virus. But the study did not prove that stress was the root cause of the problem.
Women who report feeling more stressed could be at greater risk of developing cervical cancer because their immune system can’t fight off one of the most common viruses that cause it.
It is already known that the way the body’s immune system reacts when confronted with HPV - short for human papillomavirus - can determine whether the infection causes more serious problems.
Many women appear able to “clear” the virus from their bodies, while in others it can cause a persistent infection which raises the risk of the abnormal cell changes which can eventually lead to cancer.
The latest study, carried out at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, looked for reasons why, in some women, the immune system is unable to clear the virus.
Their small study asked 78 women who had had abnormal smear tests to fill in a questionnaire about their day-to-day stresses over the previous month, and any major events such as bereavements or divorce over a longer period.
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