Page 297 - Read Online

Borniger. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2019;5:23 Journal of Cancer
DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2018.107 Metastasis and Treatment

Review Open Access

Central regulation of breast cancer growth and
metastasis

Jeremy C. Borniger

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, P154 MSLS Building, 1201 Welch Rd.,
Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Correspondence to: Dr. Jeremy C. Borniger, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of
Medicine, P154 MSLS Building, 1201 Welch Rd., Stanford, CA 94305, USA. E-mail: jcbornig@stanford.edu

How to cite this article: Borniger JC. Central regulation of breast cancer growth and metastasis. J Cancer Metastasis Treat
2019;5:23. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2018.107

Received: 23 Dec 2018 First Decision: 5 Feb 2019 Revised: 13 Feb 2019 Accepted: 21 Feb 2019 Published: 28 Mar 2019

Science Editor: Schiemann William Copy Editor: Cai-Hong Wang Production Editor: Huan-Liang Wu

Abstract
Cancer is a systemic disease. In order to fully understand it, we must take a holistic view on how cancer interacts with
its host. The brain monitors and responds to natural and aberrant signals arriving from the periphery, particularly
those of metabolic or immune origin. As has been well described, a hallmark of cancer is marked disruption of
metabolic and inflammatory processes. Depending on the salience and timing of these inputs, the brain responds via
neural and humoral routes to alter whole-body physiology. These responses have consequences for tumor growth
and metastasis, directly influencing patient quality of life and subsequent mortality. Additionally, environmental
inputs such as light, diet, and stress, can promote inappropriate neural activity that benefits cancer. Here, I discuss
evidence for brain-tumor interactions, with special emphasis on subcortical neuromodulator neural populations, and
potential ways of harnessing this cross-talk as a novel approach for cancer treatment.

Keywords: Breast cancer, hypothalamus, immunometabolism, sympathetic nervous system, neuromodulators

INTRODUCTION
Uncovering the relationships among cancer and the physiology of its host has cemented the notion that
cancer is a systemic disease. Cancer patients frequently experience systemic symptoms like depression, sleep
disruption, cognitive impairment, appetite and metabolic dysfunction, and weight loss. These phenomena
span different cancer types and occur independently from treatment regimens. Clinical studies consistently
report that such symptoms (such as weight loss, sleep disruption, and circadian misalignment) are predictors

© The Author(s) 2019. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license,
and indicate if changes were made.

www.jcmtjournal.com