Chronic military stress and glandular epithelial tumor biology: an integrative neuroendocrine–inflammatory framework with insights from microgravity gene discovery

Exposure to extreme stress within military contexts such as combat, captivity, survival training, or blast exposure triggers complex neurobiological responses that, in susceptible individuals, culminate in conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This inter-individual variability is rooted in profound genetic and epigenetic foundations. This manuscript reviews the critical relationship between chronic military stress and five key molecules: the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), the FK506-binding protein 5 (FKBP5), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and interleukin-6 (IL6). We examine how the dysregulation of this allostatic network predisposes individuals to PTSD and generates an altered systemic inflammatory and neuroendocrine microenvironment. Seeking an integrative biological perspective, this pathogenic model is linked to discoveries derived from extreme physical environments. Previous investigations by our group involving Drosophila melanogaster exposed to microgravity identified genes that are differentially inhibited under spaceflight-induced stress. Interactomic and evolutionary homology analyses revealed that five of these genes (LDHA, DNAJB5, ELOVL1, CLEC4M, SLC17A5) represent oncogenic vulnerabilities in human glandular epithelial tumors. Notably, network analysis demonstrates that LDHA and DNAJB5 act as primary convergence nodes that interact directly with the allostatic stress network. We propose that the systemic attrition provoked by military stress acts as the physiological trigger that exploits these evolutionarily conserved epithelial vulnerabilities, thereby facilitating neoplastic progression. Understanding this translational convergence is fundamental for the development of predictive biomarkers and targeted therapies in high-risk populations.