The relationship between coping self-efficacy and B cells in breast cancer patients

Azza El-Amir; Eman M El-Baiomy; Noha A Sabry; Loay Kassem; Margaret A Chesney; Kenneth A Wallston

doi:10.1186/s43046-023-00187-y

The relationship between coping self-efficacy and B cells in breast cancer patients

J Egypt Natl Canc Inst. 2023 Sep 4;35(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s43046-023-00187-y.

Authors

Azza El-Amir¹, Eman M El-Baiomy², Noha A Sabry³, Loay Kassem⁴, Margaret A Chesney⁵, Kenneth A Wallston⁶

Affiliations

¹ Immunology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
² Immunology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. emanmaher2981990@yahoo.com.
³ Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁴ Clinical Oncology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁶ Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

PMID: 37661196
DOI: 10.1186/s43046-023-00187-y

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most common tumor among women throughout the world. Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are associated with stress and depression. Self-efficacy is one of the most important personal characteristics, studied in cancer, and is correlated with depression and immunity. The aim of the study is as follows: 1. Examining the correlation between coping self-efficacy with depression, DHEA levels, and immunity 2. Examining the correlation between depression and DHEA levels 3. Studying the effect of depression and DHEA levels on immunity 4. Examining the intermediate effect of DHEA levels on the correlation between coping self-efficacy and immunity METHODS: Thirty newly diagnosed breast cancer patients recruited from the Oncology Department, Kasr EL-Aini, Cairo University (ages 51.40 + 8.24 years) responded to two questionnaires: Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); blood samples were collected to measure the phenotype of patients' cellular immunity and DHEA levels by flowcytometry and ELISA technique.

Results: There was a significant negative correlation between CSES and PHQ-9, a significant positive correlation between PHQ-9 and B-cell count, and there is a significant negative correlation between CSES and B-cell count. The presence of DHEA has no mediatory role on correlation between CSES and B-cell count.

Conclusion: This paper presents a new model of psychoneuroimmunology by suggesting an effect of coping self-efficacy on immunity against breast cancer patients.

Keywords: B cells; Breast cancer; Coping self-efficacy; DHEA; Depression; Immunity.

MeSH terms

Adaptation, Psychological
Dehydroepiandrosterone
Female
Flow Cytometry
Humans
Lymphocyte Count
Neoplasms*
Self Efficacy*

Substances

Dehydroepiandrosterone