https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5930-8566
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Abstract
Objective
Research has established links between social isolation and heightened levels of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., interleukin-6 [IL-6], tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]). Recent advances allow for the examination of cytokines that may also play a role in antiviral immunity (interferon-gamma [IFN-γ]). The present work explored how various features of social experience relate to circulating cytokines in breast cancer survivors, as inflammation has been tied to cancer recurrence and mortality.
Design
Female breast cancer survivors (N = 43) completed a blood draw to assess circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) and levels of a cytokine that also relates to antiviral immunity (IFN-γ).
Main Outcome Measures
We examined associations between cytokines and different aspects of social experience, including household size, psychosocial well-being, and social threat anxiety.
Results
Circulating levels of IFN-γ were associated with larger household size (r = 0.32, p = 0.04) and higher levels of psychosocial well-being (r = 0.33, p = 0.04). Additionally, heightened levels of IL-6 were associated with social threat anxiety (r = 0.38, p = 0.01). Heightened IL-6 was also associated with household size (r = 0.33, p = 0.03).
Conclusion
These findings are consistent with work suggesting that antiviral immunity and inflammation may have distinct contributions to the links between social experience and health, particularly for those previously diagnosed with breast cancer.
Disclosure of interest
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Figure 1. Associations between social experience and IFN-γ and IL-6 cytokines. Raw correlations are shown between measures of household size (A, B), psychosocial well-being (C, D), and social threat anxiety (E, F), and plasma levels of IFN-γ and IL-6. Horizontal axes for psychosocial well-being and social threat anxiety are standardised z-scores. Plotted cytokines values (vertical axes) are natural log transformed but axes are labelled with non-transformed values for ease of interpretation. *p < 0.05.
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in the Open Science Framework at http://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KQ984. Because participants may be identified by the combination of demographic and/or cancer diagnosis or treatment variables, some data are not publicly available in order to protect the privacy of research participants.
Notes
1 Treatment percentages do not sum to 100%, as participants often indicated that they had undergone more than one treatment.