New research by ETH, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, reveals that the circadian rhythm can impact cancer diagnosis. Moreover, the diagnosis can even affect the success of the treatment. The study details are available in ‘Trends In Cell Biology Trusted Source,’ a journal.
Circadian rhythms are biological cycles that take place about every 24 hours. Humans experience physical and psychological changes, including emotions of awake and sleep, as a result of circadian rhythms.
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The medical world will have to research more on the potential connection between the circadian rhythm and the accuracy of diagnostics.
For instance, the authors note that prostate cancer is more likely to metastasize during other times of the day than breast cancer, which is more likely to do so at night when a person is sleeping.
Based on a variety of mostly preclinical data, and maybe some clinical data too, it seems like the circadian rhythm can have some profound effects, not just obviously on sleep and other functions, but a lot of biology in terms of cancers developing and also treating cancers and how the circadian rhythm can affect the effectiveness of the various treatments — immunotherapy and chemotherapy — that we give patients,” says Dr. Santosh Kesari, a neuro-oncologist and director of neuro-oncology at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. He was not part of the study.
Although this is a significant conclusion, any major changes in the healthcare industry based on these trends should be supported by substantial evidence.