Abstract
Inflammation and social adversity have been linked to poorer long-term outcomes in breast cancer (BCa) patients, whereas greater social and family well-being (sfwb) relates to less inflammation and longer disease-free interval in BCa. S100A8A9 is a RAGE-related ligand that can up-regulate inflammatory and pro-metastatic processes and has been associated with increased risk of BCa metastasis. Here we examined associations between sfwb, s100A8A9 levels, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in 50 (M age = 53.65) distressed BCa patients in the weeks post-surgery (T1) and at 12-months (T2). Regression analyses controlling for age and disease stage showed lower S100A8A9 levels related to greater FACTsfwb at T1 (β= -.353, p=.001) and T2 (β = -.398, p =.01). S100A8A9 significantly related to T1 levels of IL6 (β =.412, p=.008) and IL1β (β =.588, p=.001), and T2 levels of IL6 (β =.486, p =.001) and IL-1β (β =.548, p=.001). Additionally, 12-month change in S100A8A9 was significantly related to 12-month change in IL6 (β =.279, p=.001) and IL1β (β=.164, p =.001). These findings demonstrate that greater social and family well-being during BCa primary treatment is associated with lower levels of upstream and downstream inflammatory markers and point to the potential value of psychosocial interventions that target enhancement of social and family well-being during this time. .
