The association between schizophrenia and cancer: a population-based mortality study
Abstract
Background For most of this century there has been speculation that persons diagnosed with schizophrenia have a reduced incidence of cancer.Objective To determine if a history of cancer was more common in persons diagnosed with schizophrenia when compared with the general population, controlling for known risk and demographic factors.Design We used the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey (NMFS) which sampled 1% of all deaths in the US from that year. Data were obtained from death certificates and records of hospitalizations in the last year of life. Additional health and demographic data were obtained through interviews with decedents' families and other informants. We compared persons diagnosed with schizophrenia (n=130) to individuals without schizophrenia (n=18,603) and used logistic regression to determine the odds ratio for the occurrence of cancer in persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. Adjustment for age at death was done to correct for the fact that persons diagnosed with schizophrenia die on average 10 years younger than the general population.Main outcome measure A diagnosis of cancer on a hospital record or the death certificate.Results The unadjusted odds ratio for cancer among individuals with schizophrenia was 0.62 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.40-0.96). After controlling for age, race, gender, marital status, education, net worth, smoking, and hospitalization in the year before death, we determined that the odds ratio for the diagnosis of cancer in persons with schizophrenia was 0.59 (95% CI 0.38-0.93).Conclusion In this population-based study, we demonstrated a reduced risk of cancer among persons diagnosed with schizophrenia.
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Some studies have demonstrated a decreased cancer risk in schizophrenia.
“Some studies have demonstrated a decreased cancer risk in schizophrenia (440-448).”
From Physical illness in patients with severe mental disorders. I. Prevalence, impact of medications and disparities in health care (2011) · cites this paper as [448]
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- Authors
- Cohen, M. E., Dembling, B., & Schorling, J. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Virginia Health System (US)
- Corresponding author
- Dembling, Bruce
- Venue
- Schizophrenia Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2002-10
- Volume
- 57
- Issue
- 2-3
- Pages
- 139-146
- ISSN
- 0920-9964 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2158648347
- Cited by
- 114
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 4.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Schizophrenia Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Global Cancer Incidence and Screening
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Cancer, Stress, Anesthesia, and Immune Response
- Keywords
- schizophrenia, cancer
- MeSH terms
- Death Certificates, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Schizophrenia, United States, Incidence, Logistic Models, Odds Ratio, Case-Control Studies
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