The initiation, progression, and metastatic spread of cancer elicits diverse changes in systemic physiology. In this way, cancer represents a novel homeostatic challenge to the host system. Here, we discuss how the hypothalamus, a critical brain region involved in homeostasis senses, integrates and responds to cancer-induced changes in physiology. Through this lens, cancer-associated changes in behavior (e.g., sleep disruption) and physiology (e.g., glucocorticoid dysregulation) can be viewed as the result of an inability to re-establish homeostasis. We provide examples at each level (receptor sensing, integration of systemic signals, and efferent regulatory pathways) of how homeostatic organization becomes disrupted across different cancers. Finally, we lay out predictions of this hypothesis and highlight outstanding questions that aim to guide further work in this area.

癌症的发生、进展和转移扩散会引起全身生理学的不同变化。通过这种方式，癌症代表了对宿主系统的一种新的稳态挑战。在这里，我们讨论下丘脑，一个参与稳态感知的关键大脑区域，如何整合和响应癌症引起的生理变化。从这个角度来看，与癌症相关的行为（例如睡眠中断）和生理学（例如糖皮质激素失调）变化可以被视为无法重建体内平衡的结果。我们在每个级别（受体感应、系统信号整合和传出调节通路）提供了稳态组织如何在不同癌症中被破坏的示例。最后，