(Ivanhoe Newswire) – People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a lot of
health issues to worry about. But cancer may be lower on the list for them than
for most people.
Researchers who compared the health records of 20,000 people with MS with
204,000 people without the condition found about a 10 percent reduction in the
risk of developing cancer in the people with MS. While the across the board risk
was lower, however, people with MS did have an increased risk of certain types
of the disease, including brain cancer and urinary tract cancers.
Why would MS patients have a lower risk of cancer? The researchers believe it
could have something to do with lifestyle factors related to MS. For example,
people with MS tend to have lower body mass index (BMI) than people without MS.
Higher BMIs are linked to many forms of cancer.
The investigators also have an explanation for the higher risk for brain cancer
seen in the study, noting people with MS receive more frequent neurological
exams, and these exams could simply be catching more cancers sooner. MS can also
lead to chronic irritation of the urinary track, which might explain the higher
risk seen there as well.
SOURCE: Neurology, published online March 30, 2009
