2ⁿᵈ Edition of the Cancer R&D World Conference 2026

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate anxiety levels in breast cancer (BC) patients using validated rating scales and to examine their associations with interleukin-6 (IL-6), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and key pathological and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers.
Methods : Serum IL-6 and HIF-1α concentrations were measured in 69 BC patients from western Algeria using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with optical density readings at 450 nm. IHC was performed to determine the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki-67. Venous blood samples were collected in heparinized tubes. Anxiety was assessed using standardized, validated questionnaires, and correlations with biochemical, pathological, and immunohistochemical parameters were analyzed.
Results : Anxiety scores were positively correlated with serum HIF-1α levels (p = 0.049; Pearson correlation coefficient [PC] = 0.24) and with the Scarff–Bloom–Richardson (SBR) histological grade (p = 0.037; PC = 0.26). An inverse association was observed between HIF-1α concentrations and HER2 status (p = 0.02), with HER2-positive patients displaying lower mean HIF-1α levels (0.01) compared to HER2-negative patients (0.27). No significant correlation was detected between anxiety and serum IL-6 concentrations.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that anxiety in BC patients is associated with increased HIF-1α expression and higher tumor histological grade, suggesting a potential role of anxiety in tumor angiogenesis and aggressiveness. The negative correlation between HER2 expression and HIF-1α may reflect a regulatory interaction between these pathways. Anxiety does not appear to modulate IL-6 serum levels in this patient population.