A bidirectional connection between sleep and
cancer exists; however, the specific associations between individual
sleep disorders and particular
tumors are not very clear. An accurate assessment of
sleep disorders in
cancer patients is necessary to improve patient health, survival, response to
therapy, quality of life, reduction of comorbidities/complications. Indeed, recent scientific evidence shows that knowledge and management of
sleep disorders offer interesting therapeutic perspectives for the treatment of
cancer. In light of this need, the objective of this review is to assess the evidence highlighted in the research of the last ten years on the correlation between each specific category of
sleep disorder according to the International Classification of
Sleep Disorders 3rd Ed. and several types of
tumor based on their anatomical location (head-neck, including the brain and thyroid; lung; breast; ovary; endometrium; testes; prostate; bladder; kidney; gastrointestinal tract, subdivided into: stomach, liver, colon, pancreas; skin; bone
tumors;
hematological malignancies:
leukemia,
lymphoma,
multiple myeloma,
polycythemia), in order to evaluate what is currently known about: 1)
sleep disorders as
cancer risk factor; 2)
tumors associated with the onset of
sleep disorders; 3) targeted
therapies of
sleep disorders in
cancer patients and new oncological perspectives following the evaluation of sleep.