Study finds positive correlation between Asthma and total cancer risk

A new study by Yi Guo and team showed that in the US population, there is a positive correlation between asthma and total cancer risk. The findings of this study were published in Cancer Medicine.

One in every four fatalities in the United States is due to cancer, the second most common cause of mortality. According to earlier studies, persistent inflammation and infection may be the root cause of roughly 25% of all cancer occurrences. Complex and chronic inflammation have a significant role in the development of asthma, a common illness. In the United States, asthma affects more than 20 million people (8%) and more than 5 million children (7%) and is one of the most often diagnosed respiratory disorders. Previous research on the link between asthma and cancer has produced mixed results. Therefore, the goal of this study was to produce more data on the relationship between asthma and cancer in the United States, both generally and by cancer subtype.

Utilizing electronic health records from 2012 to 2020 and claims data from the OneFlorida+ clinical research network, a retrospective cohort analysis was carried out. An adult patient cohort with asthma (n = 90,021) and an adult patient cohort without asthma (n = 270,063) made up the research population for this investigation. In order to investigate the relationship between an asthma diagnosis and future cancer risk, Cox proportional hazards models were constructed.