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© South African TourismSocializing around the barbecue fire.
Socialising with others may help fight cancer, according to research showing that the stress of interaction causes tumours to shrink and even go into remission.

Cancer patients who change their lifestyle to keep company with more people could see substantial improvements in their condition, the study suggests.

The findings challenge accepted wisdom that stress is damaging to health, indicating that a manageable level of stress can help the body fight disease.

However, many recent studies have shown that high stress levels make people more susceptible to cancer, and less likely to survive.

Matthew During of The Ohio State University, who led the experiments on mice, said that the results had substantial implications for how people with cancer should live after diagnosis.

Doctors should pay more attention to the living conditions of their patients, rather than relying on traditional clinical treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy

He said: "The goal isn't to minimize stress, but to live a richer life, socially and physically. You want to be challenged."

"Traditionally working on the area of lifestyle and the brain has been a 'soft area'. This paper really suggests if we look at people more in terms of their perceptions of disease, their social interactions and environment, we could realize a profound influence on cancer."

Researchers found that moving mice with cancer from their standard laboratory lodgings - where they live in groups of five - to more spacious accommodation shared with up to 20 other rodents had a significant positive effect on the progress of their condition.

Their tumours shrunk in weight by an average of 77 per cent (43 per cent by volume), while five per cent of the mice showed no evidence of cancer after three weeks.

The mice's "enriched" environment also included more space them exercise and toys with which to play, but the researchers identified the stress of socializing as the key factor in suppressing the cancers.

The reduction in the size of the tumours was caused by high levels of a particular protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is linked to stress. This protein shuts down the production of a hormone called leptin, which in turn inhibits tumour growth.

Prof During said there was "no reason" why the findings would not apply to humans, and suggested that they could pave the way for new medication that replicates the stressful effects of mingling with large numbers of other people.

He added: "Animals' interaction with the environment has a profound influence on the growth of cancer - more than we knew was possible."

The study was published in the most recent edition of the journal Cell.