Sleep deprivation and carcinogenesis: the role of melatonin

Sleep is a biological manifestation which there is a periodic alternation between synchronized and desynchronized cerebral electrical activity. Although sleep occupies approximately a third of the human lifespan, the amount of time humans spend awake has increased over the years. Indeed, several of the functions of sleep have been associated with physiological alterations of organism subjected to acute or chronic sleep loss. Cancer is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality today in all over the countries. Studies have shown that there is evidence that melatonin, a pineal hormone involved in the circadian regulation, may reduce the incidence and certainly the growth of tumors and it is associated with the biological process. In particular, this article reviews the association between sleep and carcinogenesis, focusing the role of melatonin involved to this mechanism.