Determination of a constitutional neuroendocrine factor probably influencing tumor development in man: prophylactic...

Slow recovery from stress may be one of the factors associated with the development of certain forms of cancer. In rabbits with slow recovery from stress, the growth rate of inoculated tumor cells was greater than those with rapid recovery. In cancer patients, the rate of recovery from stress was determined by the cortisol level in the blood after a stressful situation. Patients operated for breast and stomach carcinoma had a poorer prognosis if, after stress, the morning cortisol level of greater than 31 micrograms % did not decrease to less than or equal to 31 micrograms % during the next 2 weeks. It is suggested that slow recovery from stress is a genetically determined risk factor for certain diseases, including some malignant tumors. In healthy subjects a Rorschach test with form/color perception only was associated with a higher incidence of malignant neoplasms among their relatives than individuals with more movement than form/color perception.