Is herpes zoster a marker for occult or subsequent malignancy?
BACKGROUND
It has been suggested that herpes zoster may be a marker for occult malignancy.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the emergence of a subsequent cancer diagnosis in patients with and without herpes zoster.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study.


METHODS
Results were based on the database of Intego, an ongoing Belgian general practice-based morbidity registry, covering 37 general practitioners and including about 311 000 patient years between the years 1994 and 2000.


METHODS
Survival analysis comparing the emergence of malignancy in patients with and without herpes zoster.


RESULTS
The number of patients below the age of 65 years with herpes zoster, cancer or both was too low to draw any sensible conclusions. Above the age of 65 years we identified a significant increase of cancer emergence in the whole group and in females (hazard ratio = 2.65, 95% confidence interval = 1.43 to 4.90), but not in males. No difference could be identified in the first year after the herpes zoster infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results do not justify extensive testing for cancer in herpes zoster patients. The association we identified, however, leaves open a number of questions with respect to the physiopathology behind it.
Buntinx
Frank
F
Department of General Practice, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Frank.buntinx@med.kuleuven.ac.be
Wachana
Richard
R
Bartholomeeusen
Stefaan
S
Sweldens
Kathleen
K
Geys
Helena
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000821:virology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
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