WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Cancer incidence is increased overall in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), with considerable differences depending on cancer type, age, and sex, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in Neurology.

Chloe Pierret, from Rennes University in France, and colleagues conducted a 10-year nationwide retrospective matched cohort study (2012 to 2021) using data from the national French administrative health care database to examine the time to first incident cancer among PwMS and a matched sample from the general population (matched in a 1:4 ratio). Participants had no history of cancer in the three years before inclusion.

The researchers found that cancer incidence was 799 per 100,000 person-years among 140,649 PwMS and 736 per 100,000 person-years among 562,596 matched controls. There was a small overall risk increase for PwMS (hazard ratio, 1.06), mainly among women (hazard ratio, 1.08). There was variation observed in risk by cancer type, with lower risk for prostate, breast, and colorectal cancer (hazard ratios, 0.80, 0.91, and 0.90, respectively), and higher risk for bladder, brain, and cervical cancer in PwMS (hazard ratios, 1.71, 1.68, and 1.24, respectively). PwMS younger than 55 years had higher cancer risk (hazard ratio, 1.20), but the risk decreased for those aged 65 years and older (hazard ratio, 0.89); this trend was consistent across cancer locations. Fewer PwMS than controls were screened (all programs), with a greater difference seen among those aged 65 years and older.

“Cancer incidence was increased in PwMS compared with the general population but varied greatly depending on cancer type, age, and sex,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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