Schizophrenia and cancer: an epidemiological study.
BACKGROUND
For decades there has been interest in the possibility that people with schizophrenia might have some protection against cancer, and that, if this were so, it might hold clues about aetiological mechanisms in schizophrenia.


OBJECTIVE
To study cancer incidence in schizophrenia.


METHODS
Cohort analysis of linked hospital and death records was used to compare cancer rates in people with schizophrenia with a reference cohort.


RESULTS
We did not find a reduced risk for cancer overall (rate ratio 0.99,95% CI 0.90-1.08) or for most individual cancers. There was, however, a significantly low rate ratio for skin cancer (0.56,95% CI 0.36-0.83).


CONCLUSIONS
We found no evidence that schizophrenia confers protection against cancer in general. Low rates of cancer are consistent with the hypothesis that sun exposure may influence the development of schizophrenia, although other explanations are also possible.
Goldacre
Michael J
MJ
Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK. michael.goldacre@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
Kurina
Lianne M
LM
Wotton
Clare J
CJ
Yeates
David
D
Seagroat
Valerie
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology