Kidney Disease Linked to Cancer
Reported May 04, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) Men with even moderate kidney disease may be at increased risk for certain cancers, including those of the lungs and urinary track.
Australian researchers arrived at that conclusion after following more than 3,600 men and women between the ages of 49 and 97 over a 10-year period. Men but not women with moderate kidney dysfunction had nearly a 40 percent greater risk of developing cancer when compared to men with normal kidney function. The lower the kidney function, the higher the risk.
Since chronic kidney disease strikes about one out of three older men, the investigators believe better efforts to prevent the condition could impact cancer rates. They also call for stepped up cancer screening in men with kidney disease so the disease can be found at its earliest and most treatable stage.
How would kidney disease lead to cancer? While more study is needed, the researchers cite evidence showing inflammation caused by the condition may up the risk for cancer. Studies have also found an increased risk for cancer in people with vitamin D deficiency, a common problem in people with chronic kidney disease.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Society Nephrology, published online April 30, 2009