Long-term Conditions Tied to Higher Risk of Oesophageal and Stomach Cancers

Takeaway

• Patients with bronchiectasis, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and psoriasis/eczema had a greater risk of oesophageal cancer.

• In addition, patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis had a greater risk of stomach cancer.

Why this matters

• A better understanding of the role of long-term conditions (LTCs) may help in the early diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancers and improve patient survival.

Study design

• A prospective population-based cohort study included 487,798 participants (age, 37-73 years) from the UK Biobank.

• The association of a wide range of LTCs with UGI cancers was evaluated.

• Funding: None.

Key results

• After a median follow-up of 86 months, 598 participants developed oesophageal cancer and 397 developed stomach cancer.

• The risk of oesophageal cancer was higher in participants with (adjusted HR [aHR]; 95% CI):

  • alcohol addiction (4.11; 2.01-8.43; P<.01);

  • Barrett’s oesophagus (5.68; 3.36-9.58; P<.01);

  • bronchiectasis (2.72; 1.01-7.31; P=.05);

  • diabetes (1.38; 1.06-1.81; P=.02);

  • hiatus hernia (1.69; 1.16-2.45; P<.01);

  • Parkinson’s disease (3.86; 1.60-9.37; P<.01); and

  • psoriasis/eczema (1.53; 1.08-2.17; P=.02).

• Similarly, the incidence of stomach cancer was higher in participants with (aHR; 95% CI):

  • anorexia/bulimia (8.86; 1.20-65.14; P=.03);

  • Barrett’s oesophagus (3.37; 1.39-8.14; P<.01);

  • chronic fatigue syndrome (3.36; 1.25-9.03; P=.02);

  • glaucoma (2.06; 1.16-3.67; P=.01);

  • multiple sclerosis (4.60; 1.71-12.34; P<.01);

  • oesophageal stricture (1.04; 1.46-74.46; P=.02); and

  • pernicious anaemia (6.93; 3.42-14.03; P<.01).

Limitations

• Risk of selection bias.

• Data on LTCs were self-reported.

Marley J, Nicholl BI, Macdonald S, Mair FS, Jani BD. Associations between long-term conditions and upper gastrointestinal cancer incidence: A prospective population-based cohort of UK Biobank participants. J Comorb. 2021;11:26335565211056136. doi: 10.1177/26335565211056136. PMID: 34820338 View Full Text.

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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Pavankumar Kamat. Long-term Conditions Tied to Higher Risk of Oesophageal and Stomach Cancers - Medscape - Dec 13, 2021.