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A recent analysis carried out by researchers from Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology finds that stress in women suffering from breast cancer can cause the cancer to spread to the bones.

The report of a study conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology and published in PLoS Biology journal states that stress and depression in women diagnosed with breast cancer can cause the disease to spread to the bones as it activates the sympathetic nervous system, which increases bone levels of a signaling molecule called RANKL.

RANKL is responsible for promoting the formation of osteoclasts which are bone cells that break down bone tissue.

"We came to the hypothesis that sympathetic activation might remodel the bone environment and make it more favorable for cancer cells to metastasis there," said Florent Elefteriou, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology. "Metastasis, the spread of cancer cells to distant organs, including bone is more likely to kill patients than a primary breast tumor," Elefteriou said.

The test were carried out on mice where the researchers studied cancer cell metastasis in mice. Human breast cancer cells were injected into the mouse heart to model the stage of metastasis when breast cancer cells leave the primary site and move through the circulation. Findings suggested that treating the mice with a drug that mimics sympathetic nervous system activation caused more cancer lesions in bone.