Cancer Risk Before Schizophrenia Diagnosis in Taiwan, 1995-2009

Inflammation and the two-hit hypothesis of schizophrenia

“…While an increase in risk and incidence for certain cancers in schizophrenia patients and their first degree relatives has been observed (Mortensen, 1989; Gal et al, 2012), there is alternative evidence for a decreased cancer risk among certain schizophrenia patient and first degree relative demographics (Lichtermann et al, 2001; Cohen et al, 2002; Barak et al, 2005; Levav et al, 2007; Catts et al, 2008; Gal et al, 2012; Ji et al, 2013). Other studies have shown mixed or null results, with the risk for specific types of cancer increased or decreased, and still others showing no difference relative to control groups (Goldacre et al, 2005; Grinshpoon et al, 2005; Hippisley-Cox et al, 2007; Gal et al, 2012; Lin et al, 2013b; Chen et al, 2013). Further complicating these findings are gender, age, and race interactions concerning schizophrenia and cancer rates (Ji et al, 2013; Chen et al, 2013).…”

“…Other studies have shown mixed or null results, with the risk for specific types of cancer increased or decreased, and still others showing no difference relative to control groups (Goldacre et al, 2005; Grinshpoon et al, 2005; Hippisley-Cox et al, 2007; Gal et al, 2012; Lin et al, 2013b; Chen et al, 2013). Further complicating these findings are gender, age, and race interactions concerning schizophrenia and cancer rates (Ji et al, 2013; Chen et al, 2013). Two recent registry studies have offered some interesting suppositions: That schizophrenia patients may be underdiagnosed with cancer (Crump et al, 2013), and that there is an inverse relationship between cancer mortality and age among schizophrenia patients (Lin et al, 2013a).…”

Epigenetics Territory and Cancer

“…2011) as well as cancer. Asian SCZ patients, regardless of their gender, reported to have more cancer risk than Caucasian patients (Catts et al 2008;Chen et al 2013). Thus, the reduced risk of cancer in SCZ patients cannot be due to specific genetic polymorphisms in recessive, dominant or even with a polygenic pattern.…”

“…Speculation as to the cause of this discrepancy in cancer rates has focused on genetic, pharmacological and environmental factors (Mortensen 1989). Based on the latest human studies, male SCZ patients and their first-degree relatives exhibited reduced cancer risk, but this cancer-protection trend may disappear with the use of antipsychotic drugs (Ji et al 2013;Chen et al 2013). 2011) as well as cancer.…”

“…While genetic polymorphisms involved in SCZ pathogenesis were attributed to the reduced cancer risk in these patients, it is well established that functional genetic polymorphisms alone are insufficient by themselves to provide a molecular basis for the pathogenesis of SCZ (Abdolmaleky el al. On the contrary, female SCZ patients exhibit an increased risk for breast, cervical and endometrial cancers (Ji et al 2013;Chen et al 2013). Although hundreds of genes have been implicated in SCZ, the effect size of each gene is very small (< 1 %).…”