This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

99.999999% bad, yes, but not ALL bad...lower cancer risk in people with MS was already known before this study, but more evidence is always nice...


Multiple sclerosis associated with lower cancer risk

March 30, 2009 - A new study shows that people with multiple sclerosis may be at a lower risk for cancer overall, but at a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as brain tumors and bladder cancer. The study is published in the March 31, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Researchers looked at the medical records of 20,000 people with multiple sclerosis and 204,000 people without the diagnosis. After 35 years, they found that the people with MS had a decreased overall risk of cancer by 10 percent compared to people who did not have the disease. The result was more pronounced in women. However, for people with MS the risk for certain cancers, such as brain tumors and bladder and other urinary organ cancers, increased by up to 44 percent compared to people without MS.

Scientists also evaluated the parents of people with MS to determine whether there was a possible genetic link. They found that there was no overall increased or decreased risk of cancer among either mothers or fathers of those with MS, compared to parents of people without MS.

for the rest of the article:
http://www.physorg.com/news157655296.html

Thanks for this, dig- .000001% good news!
I've wondered if MS is the genetic manifestation of how a particular population's immune system might respond to something like EBV. (In some groups, EBV becomes Burkett's Lymphoma.)
AC

_________________
Husband dx RRMS 3/07
dx dual jugular vein stenosis (CCSVI) 4/09
dual stents placed 5/09
CCSVI in MS

Since I was diagnosed with breast cancer about 3 years after I was diagnosed with MS I guess I don't fit into this study! I must just be an exception!
Lori

Hi.

Patients with MS tend to look after themselves more by dieting, not smoking etc. The study was about patients diagnosed 35 years ago. I 'm afraid that heavy use immune suppressants such as mitoxantrone, azathioprine, etc will invert this image. But I could be wrong, nonetheless.

On the other hand, interferons seem to have some anti-cancer properties, but it is not clear.

sou

_________________
Shortest joke: "We may not be able to cure MS but we can manage its symptoms."