Study finds strong link between acromegaly and increased cancer risk

Acromegaly is rare. Scientists estimate that between 3 and 14 of every 100,000 people have been diagnosed with acromegaly.In the new study, the researchers compared 10,207 acromegaly patients to 102,070 matched controls-meaning each person with acromegaly was matched with 10 people without the disorder who were the same sex and age. The results showed that those with acromegaly had higher rates of cancers, including colon, gastric, breast, lung, ovarian, prostate and blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.The study also found that higher levels of growth hormone were linked to a greater risk of developing cancer.Compared to people without the condition, patients with acromegaly had:

• A 3.3 times higher risk of developing leukemia or lymphoma
• A 1.9 times higher risk of developing ovarian cancer
• A 1.8 times higher risk of developing breast cancer
• A 1.9 times higher risk of developing lung cancer
• A 1.5 times higher risk of developing prostate cancer

Some of these cancers also appeared at younger ages in the acromegaly group. Ovarian cancer appeared an average of 7.2 years earlier in patients with acromegaly compared to their matched controls, while lung cancer was diagnosed 3.2 years earlier, liver cancer appeared 6.3 years earlier and neuroendocrine cancer was diagnosed 5.7 years earlier.

Reference:

Study finds strong link between acromegaly and increased cancer risk, The Endocrine Society, Meeting: ENDO 2025.