Is there a place for multiple sclerosis in cancer screening and diagnosis?

 

According to new study published in the April 27, 2022, online edition of Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are less likely than women without MS to have breast malignancies discovered via cancer screenings. Researchers also discovered that patients with MS are more likely than those without MS to have colorectal cancer recognized early.

"MS is a severe condition, and mobility limitations may make it difficult for persons with MS to attend routine cancer screenings," stated Ruth Ann Marrie, MD, Ph.D., of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "Because little is known about whether having MS affects receiving regular cancer tests, we decided to undertake this research. Early detection and diagnosis are critical since they may influence a person's chance of surviving from cancer."

Researchers looked at health-care data for 14.8 million individuals in Ontario to see whether there were any persons with breast or colorectal cancer who had MS or not. Researchers compared 351 women with breast cancer and MS to 1,404 women with breast cancer but no MS, who were matched for age, sex, and cancer diagnostic date. Similarly, they found 54 patients who had colorectal cancer and MS and compared them to 216 people who had colorectal cancer but didn't have MS.

The researchers then examined the medical records of study participants. Breast cancer was diagnosed by regular screening in 103, or 29 percent, of the women with MS and 529, or 38 percent, of the women without MS, according to the researchers. After correcting for age, diagnosis year, and income, researchers discovered that women with MS had a 32 percent decreased chance of having breast cancer diagnosed via standard screening.

"Because MS disability grows with age, as does cancer risk, it's probable that persons with MS will have a harder time getting frequent mammograms as they get older," Marrie said.

Researchers also discovered that patients with MS were twice as likely as non-MS people to have colorectal cancer identified at stage one, the earliest stage of the disease.

"Bowel symptoms and gastrointestinal issues are common in MS patients, which might lead to similar symptoms with colorectal cancer," Marrie said. "More gastrointestinal checks may aid in the earlier detection of colorectal cancer."

Researchers also discovered that 21% of MS patients with breast cancer and 33% of MS patients with colorectal cancer had a degree of impairment that required home care services or long-term care. "More study is required on the influence of MS-related impairment on screens," Marrie stated.

The research had one flaw: it did not cover the time period between when a person first recognised cancer signs and when they informed their doctor.

 Also, persons who are marginalised because of their race or ethnicity have uneven access to cancer screening, according to Marrie, and this may be worsened among people with MS. She said that race and ethnicity data were not accessible for this study and that future research should look into it.