Differences in Emotional Awareness Moderate Cytokine-Symptom Associations Among Breast Cancer Survivors

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Psychoneuroimmunology
• Cancer Survivorship

Background:

• Cancer survivors often experience elevated proinflammatory cytokines, potentially linked to cancer-related symptoms.
• Proinflammatory cytokines can directly impact the brain, influencing negative affect.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the direct associations between proinflammatory cytokines and cancer-related symptoms.
• To investigate whether emotional awareness moderates these associations in breast cancer survivors.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 162 female breast cancer survivors (6 ± 4 months post-treatment).
• Serum cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β) were measured.
• Depression, fatigue, pain intensity, and pain interference were assessed; emotional awareness was measured using the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale.

Main Results:

• In survivors with high emotional awareness, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were positively associated with depression.
• IL-6 and TNF-α were positively associated with pain intensity in those with high emotional awareness.
• IL-6 also showed a positive association with pain intensity at average emotional awareness levels.

Conclusions:

• Emotional awareness influences the relationship between proinflammatory cytokines and symptoms like depression and pain in breast cancer survivors.
• Interventions enhancing emotional awareness may help mitigate the impact of cytokines on mood and pain.
• Targeting emotional awareness could be a strategy to manage distress and improve quality of life in cancer survivors.