Tuberculosis (TB) kills greater than 1,000,000 people worldwide yearly. Recent research has uncovered a brand new risk related to tuberculosis infection: an increased likelihood of developing various forms of cancer.
Although tuberculosis, a contagious infection attributable to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily attacks the lungs, this could be the case influence other areas of the body, including the brain and spine. It could also result in complications akin to tissue and DNA damage, impaired gene repair and altered growth aspects.
The latest study found that individuals with a current or previous TB infection usually tend to be diagnosed with a wide range of cancers, including lung, blood, gynecological and colorectal cancers.
The study used data from South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database between 2010 and 2017 and included 72,542 TB patients and an equal variety of matched controls.
Patients with tuberculosis were identified using specific criteria: patients with a disease code for tuberculosis who were entered into the system or who were treated with two or more tuberculosis drugs for a period of greater than 28 days. The control group from the overall population was chosen in a ratio of 1:5 and took into consideration various aspects akin to gender, age, income level, place of residence and index 12 months.
The researchers examined the incidence of newly diagnosed cancer cases after tuberculosis diagnosis after a median follow-up period of about 5.5 years and a median age of 62 years in tuberculosis patients.
“In comparison with the overall population, cancer incidence was significantly higher in tuberculosis patients: 80% higher for all cancers combined; 3.6 times higher for lung cancer, 2.4 times higher for blood cancer (hematological cancer); 2.2 times higher for gynecological cancer.” ; 57% higher for colorectal cancer, 56% higher for thyroid cancer and 55% higher for esophageal and stomach cancer,” the press release said.
The study found that amongst individuals with tuberculosis, current smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, chronic liver disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were also independent risk aspects for cancer.
“TB is an independent risk factor for cancer, not just for lung cancer but in addition for various site-specific cancers, after accounting for confounding aspects. Screening and treatment for cancer needs to be warranted in patients with tuberculosis,” the researchers added.
The outcomes will likely be presented at this 12 months’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain.
