Patients with cancer are more likely to have herpes zoster (shingles) outbreaks than people who do not have cancer, but whether shingles raises cancer risk has not been known. A new study published online September 17 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal indicates that the reactivated herpes infection does not elevate cancer risk.
Yu-Ping Wang, MD, from the Department of Medical Research and Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study, using de-identified data from a national health registry, on 35,871 patients 20 years or older (range, 20 – 101 years; median age, 52 years) diagnosed with herpes zoster from 2000 to 2008.
The researchers considered sex, age, years since diagnosis, and comorbidities likely to be present in this population, including autoimmune disease, cancers, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive lung disease.
Previous studies examining the relationship between herpes zoster and subsequent cancer development investigated Western populations. Results might not reflect incidence or association in other populations, such as the Asian population that is the focus of the current reported study.
Medscape. Ricki Lewis, PhD. September 17, 2012
