Abstract 1654 Chronic Stress Promotes Melanoma Progression Through Upregulation of MIF in the Tumor Microenvironment

Previous studies have shown that stress plays a role in tumor growth and metastasis in some cancers including ovarian cancer. Stress induces the release of catecholamines, like norepinephrine (NE), throughout the body which binds to the beta-3 adrenergic receptors of cancer cells and tumor-associated-macrophages (TAMs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME), which plays an important role in cancer progression. Our research investigates our hypothesis that NE stimulates TAMs in the TME to release pro-inflammatory cytokines which aid tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis-specifically in melanoma.