Associations between religious and spiritual variables and neuroimmune activity in survivors of breast cancer: a feasibility study

Purpose Chronic stress is associated with neuroimmune inflammation and adverse outcomes in breast cancer survivors. Some breast cancer survivors rely on religious and spiritual (R/S) variables to manage stress after breast cancer treatment. A spiritually based psychoneuroimmunological (PNI) model of health suggests that R/S variables influence neuroimmune activity; however, these associations are not well-established. A pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility of studying associations between R/S variables and neuroimmune biomarkers in breast cancer survivors. Method Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were sampled among women previously treated for breast cancer. The primary aim was to assess feasibility and acceptability of the sampling protocol. A secondary aim explored associations between sAA, IL-6, R/S variables, and health outcomes. Result Forty-one women completed the study. Biomarker sampling yielded 246 acceptable specimens used for analysis. SAA was detectable in 96% of specimens and IL-6 was detectable in 44% of specimens. The R/S variables with the strongest associations to sAA were spiritual self-rank ( rs = .39; p