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Patients with Urologic Cancers May Face Higher Risk for Colorectal Cancer — and Vice Versa
Patients with urologic cancers may face increased risk for colorectal cancer — and vice versa — reports Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers retrospectively analyzed data on nearly 187,000 patients with urologic cancers and 358,000 with colorectal cancer from 1973 to 2000.
Compared with the general population, patients with urologic cancers had higher risks for subsequent colorectal cancer. Risk was increased by 10% with initial bladder cancer, 14% with renal parenchymal cancer, 44% with renal pelvis cancer, and 80% with ureteral cancer. Meanwhile, patients with colorectal cancer had higher risks for subsequent urologic cancers. Bladder cancer risk was increased by 13%; renal parenchymal, 50%; renal pelvis, 59%; and ureteral, 100%.
Risk for a second cancer was even greater when the initial cancer was diagnosed at an early age.
Possible explanations include environmental exposures, genetic predisposition, screening bias, and cancer treatment effects. The authors conclude that patients with some urologic cancers may benefit from earlier and more frequent colorectal cancer screenings.
LINK(S):
Archives of Internal Medicine article (Free abstract; full text requires subscription)
Published in Physician's First Watch May 13, 2008