Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in women. The vast majority of these cancers are caused by infections with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (Cohen et al. 2019). Other factors that may increase the risk of cervical cancer include, for example, disruption of the cervicovaginal microbiota. However, in terms of the neurobiology of cancer, a significant factor is the neuroendocrine stress response, which may potentiate the development and progression of this cancer (Chen et al. 2021). Meanwhile, several stressors, such as bereavement (loss of a parent, partner, or child), have been identified that may increase the risk of cervical cancer associated with HPV infection by increasing susceptibility to HPV infection (Coker et al. 2003; Fang et al. 2011; Lu et al. 2016; Chen et al. 2021). In the case of cervical cancer, behavioral stress responses may also play a role, for example, related to promiscuous behavior (Kennedy et al. 2014).