Early Cataracts & Increased Cancer Risk
In the absence of a strong family
history of early cataracts, the development of cataracts at an unusually early
age tends to raise questions about a patient’s overall health. There has been a suspicious association
between the early onset of cataracts-in patients under 55 years old and the
potential risk for developing cancer. This is thought to be due to the fact
that early onset
cataract is linked to insufficient antioxidative activity in one’s
metabolism-which is also a known factor for increasing the risk of cancer.
Researchers reporting the journal Cancer
Science,
the official journal of the Japanese
Cancer Association investigated the risk of cancer after being diagnosed
with early onset cataract. The researchers examined claims from the Taiwan
National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of patients with early onset
cataract, aged 20-55 and also compared it to a group of the same age range
without cataracts. By using powerful statistical analysis they found that the overall incidence rate of all cancers
was 2.19-fold higher in the early onset cataract group as compared to those
without cataracts. Further they were
able to analyze where these patients were at greatest risk of developing cancer
and found head and neck areas highest, followed by liver cancer and then breast
cancer. This study suggests that
patients with early onset cataract are at an increased risk of being diagnosed
with cancer in subsequent years.
If you or someone you know is concerned about early cataract development or needs a regular eye exam where do a routine cataract screening
and exam, please share this information with them and ask them to call Doctor
& Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in
Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an
appointment.
Doctor & Associates offices are
located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury
Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.
