{"id":6401,"date":"2026-10-19T09:48:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T09:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phd.hi.is\/doktorsvorn\/doktorsvorn-i-lydheilsuvisindum-hronn-hardardottir\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T09:48:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T09:48:52","slug":"doktorsvorn-i-lydheilsuvisindum-hronn-hardardottir","status":"publish","type":"phd_defence","link":"https:\/\/phd.hi.is\/en\/doktorsvorn\/doktorsvorn-i-lydheilsuvisindum-hronn-hardardottir\/","title":{"rendered":"Doktorsv\u00f6rn \u00ed l\u00fd\u00f0heilsuv\u00edsindum &#8211; Hr\u00f6nn Har\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"field-items\">\n<div class=\"field-item even\" property=\"content:encoded\">\n<p>F\u00f6studaginn 6. j\u00fan\u00ed 2025 ver Hr\u00f6nn Har\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir doktorsritger\u00f0 s\u00edna \u00ed l\u00fd\u00f0heilsuv\u00edsindum vi\u00f0 L\u00e6knadeild H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands. Ritger\u00f0in ber heiti\u00f0:<strong> \u00de\u00e1ttur streituvi\u00f0brag\u00f0a vi\u00f0 greiningu lungnakrabbameins \u00ed \u00fer\u00f3un sj\u00fakd\u00f3msins. The role of the psychobiological stress response to a lung cancer diagnosis in tumor biology and survival. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Andm\u00e6lendur eru dr. Maria Planck, d\u00f3sent vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3lann \u00ed Lundi, Sv\u00ed\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0, og dr. Judith Prins, pr\u00f3fessor vi\u00f0 Radboud Universiteit, Hollandi.<\/p>\n<p>Umsj\u00f3narkennari og lei\u00f0beinandi var Unnur Anna Valdimarsd\u00f3ttir, pr\u00f3fessor og forseti Heilbrig\u00f0isv\u00edsindasvi\u00f0s H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands. Auk hennar s\u00e1tu \u00ed doktorsnefnd Thor Aspelund, pr\u00f3fessor, Hei\u00f0d\u00eds Valdimarsd\u00f3ttir, pr\u00f3fessor, Susan K. Lutgendorf, pr\u00f3fessor, Magn\u00fas Karl Magn\u00fasson, pr\u00f3fessor, og T\u00f3mas Gu\u00f0bjartsson, pr\u00f3fessor.<\/p>\n<p>S\u00e6d\u00eds S\u00e6varsd\u00f3ttir, pr\u00f3fessor og varadeildarforseti L\u00e6knadeildar, stj\u00f3rnar ath\u00f6fninni sem fer fram \u00ed H\u00e1t\u00ed\u00f0asal H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands og hefst kl. 9.00.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00c1grip<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lungnakrabbamein er eitt algengasta krabbameini\u00f0 me\u00f0al karla og kvenna \u00e1 Nor\u00f0url\u00f6ndum og er algengasta d\u00e1narors\u00f6k krabbameina. A\u00f0 undirgangast ranns\u00f3knarferli og greiningu krabbameins, s\u00e9r \u00ed lagi lungnakrabbameins, veldur mikilli streitu sem getur veri\u00f0 vi\u00f0varandi. S\u00e1lr\u00e6n streita virkjar drifkerfi sj\u00e1lfvirka taugakerfisins sem getur haft \u00e1hrif \u00e1 framgang krabbameinsins. L\u00edti\u00f0 er vita\u00f0 um s\u00e1l-l\u00edffr\u00e6\u00f0ileg streituvi\u00f0br\u00f6g\u00f0 vi\u00f0 greiningu lungnakrabbameins.<\/p>\n<p>Ranns\u00f3knir \u00feessarar ritger\u00f0ar eru bygg\u00f0ar \u00e1 LUCASS ranns\u00f3kninni (Lung Cancer, Stress and Survival), sem er frams\u00fdn ferilranns\u00f3kn sem f\u00f3r fram \u00e1 Landsp\u00edtalanum \u00ed Reykjav\u00edk og Uppsala sj\u00fakrah\u00fasinu \u00ed Sv\u00ed\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0. M\u00e6lingar voru ger\u00f0ar \u00e1 s\u00e1lr\u00e6num streituvi\u00f0br\u00f6g\u00f0um og l\u00edfmerkjum streitu fyrir og eftir greiningu lungnakrabbameins en \u00e1\u00f0ur en me\u00f0fer\u00f0 var hafin. Jafnframt var uppl\u00fdsingum safna\u00f0 \u00far krabbameins\u00e6xlum skur\u00f0t\u00e6kra sj\u00faklinga og lifun \u00feeirra sem greindust me\u00f0 lungnakrabbamein.<\/p>\n<p>Samanteki\u00f0 s\u00fdna ni\u00f0urst\u00f6\u00f0ur ranns\u00f3knarinnar a\u00f0 ranns\u00f3knarferli og greining lungnakrabbameins valdi mikilli aukningu \u00e1 s\u00e1lr\u00e6num streitueinkennum, \u00fear me\u00f0 tali\u00f0 \u00feunglyndi og kv\u00ed\u00f0a. Jafnframt kom fram a\u00f0 sj\u00faklingar upplifa mikla \u00e1fallastreitu eftir greininguna. Magn streituhorm\u00f3na var \u00feegar h\u00e6kka\u00f0 \u00ed \u00fevagi \u00e1\u00f0ur en greining lungnakrabbameins var sta\u00f0fest, \u00e1n sk\u00fdrrar tengingar vi\u00f0 s\u00e1lr\u00e6na streitu. Engu a\u00f0 s\u00ed\u00f0ur tengdust s\u00e1lr\u00e6n einkenni sj\u00faklinga fyrir greiningu lungnakrabbameins vi\u00f0 \u00fe\u00e9ttni beta-adrenergra vi\u00f0taka \u00e1 krabbameinsfrumunum sem \u00ed \u00f6\u00f0rum ranns\u00f3knum hafa veri\u00f0 tengdir verri sj\u00fakd\u00f3msgangi. A\u00f0 lokum benda ni\u00f0urst\u00f6\u00f0urnar \u00e1 a\u00f0 tengsl s\u00e9u milli s\u00e1lr\u00e6nna einkenna og streituhorm\u00f3na, m\u00e6ld vi\u00f0 greiningu lungnakrabbameins, vi\u00f0 lifun sj\u00faklinga. \u00deessar ni\u00f0urst\u00f6\u00f0ur undirstrika fl\u00f3kin s\u00e1l-l\u00edffr\u00e6\u00f0ileg streituvi\u00f0br\u00f6g\u00f0 vi\u00f0 greiningu lungnakrabbameins og \u00fe\u00f6rf \u00e1 frekari ranns\u00f3knum \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed svi\u00f0i.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lung cancer is the second and third most common cancer among men and women in the Nordic countries and is the leading cause of all cancer deaths. Receiving a cancer diagnosis, particularly lung cancer, is an extremely stressful experience that may have further health consequences for the patients. Psychological distress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which can enhance tumor progression. Data is scarce on the psychobiological stress response during the diagnostic work-up and diagnosis of lung cancer as well as its potential role in prognostic markers and survival. The research of this thesis is based on the LUCASS study (LUng CAncer, Stress and Survival), a prospective cohort study performed at university hospitals in Reykjav\u00edk, Iceland, and Uppsala, Sweden, designed to investigate the psychobiological stress responses in patients undergoing a diagnostic work-up for suspected lung cancer. Overall, the findings of this thesis highlight that receiving a lung cancer diagnosis is associated with a marked increase in perceived psychological distress, and patients experience high levels of posttraumatic stress shortly after the diagnosis. Urinary levels of catecholamines were already elevated before the lung cancer diagnosis was established, with no clear link to distress levels at that time point. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that pre-diagnostic distress is strongly associated with levels of beta-2-adrenergic receptors on the tumor cells. Finally, this work provides evidence for the role of psychobiological distress pathways in the survival of this vulnerable patient group, as both higher distress levels and levels of urinary norepinephrine before diagnosis were associated with lung cancer-specific survival. These results underscore the complex psychobiological stress responses to a lung cancer diagnosis and call for further research on the intricate connection between patients\u2019 mental distress at diagnosis, tumor biology, and survival outcomes in lung cancer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Um doktorsefni<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hr\u00f6nn Har\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir er f\u00e6dd \u00e1ri\u00f0 1967 \u00ed Reykjav\u00edk. H\u00fan lauk kand\u00eddatspr\u00f3fi \u00ed l\u00e6knisfr\u00e6\u00f0i fr\u00e1 H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands \u00e1ri\u00f0 1993. \u00c1ri\u00f0 1997 h\u00e9lt h\u00fan til frekara n\u00e1ms til Hollands og hlaut s\u00e9rfr\u00e6\u00f0ir\u00e9ttindi \u00ed almennum lyfl\u00e6kningum \u00e1ri\u00f0 2005 og s\u00ed\u00f0ar sama \u00e1r s\u00e9rfr\u00e6\u00f0ir\u00e9ttindi \u00ed lungnal\u00e6kningum fr\u00e1 Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen \u00ed Hollandi. Fr\u00e1 \u00e1rinu 2006 hefur Hr\u00f6nn starfa\u00f0 sem lyf- og lungnal\u00e6knir \u00e1 Landsp\u00edtala. Samhli\u00f0a vinnu sinni \u00fear hefur h\u00fan sinnt stundakennslu \u00ed l\u00edff\u00e6ra- og samskiptafr\u00e6\u00f0i vi\u00f0 L\u00e6knadeild H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands. Doktorsverkefni\u00f0 er unni\u00f0 samhli\u00f0a hlutastarfi \u00e1 Landsp\u00edtala \u00e1samt st\u00f6rfum \u00ed \u00fdmsum nefndum og kennslu b\u00e6\u00f0i BS- og meistaranema vi\u00f0 H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands. Foreldrar hennar eru Rut Rebekka Sigurj\u00f3nsd\u00f3ttir og H\u00f6r\u00f0ur Kristinsson. Hr\u00f6nn er gift J\u00f3ni \u00d6rvari Kristinssyni l\u00e6kni og saman eiga \u00feau fj\u00f6gur b\u00f6rn og eru barnab\u00f6rnin or\u00f0in fimm.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":5765,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_phd_date_start":"2025-06-06T09:00:00+00:00","_phd_date_end":"2025-06-06T12:00:00+00:00","_phd_location":"A\u00f0albygging H\u00e1t\u00ed\u00f0asalur","_phd_admission":"A\u00f0gangur \u00f3keypis","_phd_thesis_title":"\u00de\u00e1ttur streituvi\u00f0brag\u00f0a vi\u00f0 greiningu lungnakrabbameins \u00ed \u00fer\u00f3un sj\u00fakd\u00f3msins. 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