University of Utah scientists who studied a statewide cancer registry are reporting people with Parkinson’s disease face an increased risk of prostate cancer and melanoma – as do their their relatives.
The study, published online in the Archives of Neurology, suggests neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s, may share common genetic mechanisms with some cancers.
"Identifying a genetic relationship between [Parkinson’s] and cancer is critical to understanding underlying pathophysiologic changes in both diseases,” the researchers said. “Understanding this relationship could allow clinicians to provide proper assessment of cancer risk in patients with PD and might also have implications for the counseling of relatives of patients," the authors note in the study background.
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For the study, Dr. Seth A. Kareus and colleagues compared the records of 3,000 Utah residents with Parkinson’s listed as their cause of death from 1904 to 2008 to information from the Utah Cancer Registry on 100,817 cancer patients.
"A significantly increased risk for prostate cancer was observed in the PD population as well as among their relatives,” the researchers concluded. “A reciprocal significantly increased risk for PD was also found in the 22,147 prostate cancer cases and their relatives."
The study also notes that "a significantly elevated risk for melanoma was found in the Utah PD population as well as in their relatives. A reciprocal significantly increased relative risk for PD was found in 7,841 Utah melanoma cases and their relatives."
The results suggest people with Parkinson’s be screened for cancer risks, the investigators said.
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