Higher Cancer Risk For Those With Gum Disease

Whether
they are smokers or non-smokers, people with gum disease have a higher
overall risk of cancer, according to an Article published on May 27,
2008 in The Lancet Oncology.



Gum disease, such as
periodontis or gingivitis, is associated with increased concentrations
of inflammatory markers in the blood. There is some debate, however,
about whether this systemic inflammation, the pathogenic invasion into
the blood stream, or the immune response to gum infection could
possibly affect cancer risk, overall or at specific sites.



To
explore the potential association between gum disease and cancer, Dr.
Dominique Michaud, Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues began a
study of male health professionals aged 40-75 years in 1986.
Questionnaires were sent to the living participants every two years,
and dietary questionnaires were sent every four years. The data
collected through these surveys included: baseline gum disease, bone
loss, the number of natural teeth, tooth loss, smoking history, food
intake, and any cancer diagnoses. The data were examined for the
overall cancer risk and compared to individual cancers, and more than
100 cases were documented.



In total, 48,375 men were
considered eligible for the study and followed for a median follow-up
period of 17.7 years. In this group, there were 5,720 cases of incident
cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer and non-aggressive prostate
cancer. Of these, the most common cancers were colorectal (18% or
1043), melanoma of the skin (12% or 698), lung (12% or 678), bladder
(9.5% or 543) and advanced prostate cancer (9.5% or 541). After
adjusting for many known risk factors, including accounting for smoking
and dietary histories, the subjects who had a history of gum disease
had a risk of cancer that was 14% higher than those with no history of
gum disease.



Patients with a history of gum disease, in
comparison with those without a history of gum disease, had an
increased risk of cancer in certain specific sites as well, including:
36% increased in the lung, 49% increased in the kidney, 54% increased
in the pancreas, and 30% increased in hematological cancers. Patients
with 0-16 natural teeth at the baseline were also 70% more likely to
have lunch cancer than those with 25-32 teeth. In subjects who did not
smoke, gum disease was associated with a 21% overall cancer risk above
those without gum disease. In contrast, nonsmoker subjects had no
difference in risk based on lung disease.



In conclusion, the authors summarize their results: "Gum
disease was associated with a small, but significant, increase in
overall cancer risk, which persisted in never-smokers. The associations
recorded for lung cancer are probably because of residual confounding
by smoking. The increased risks noted for haematological, kidney, and
pancreatic cancers need confirmation, but suggest that gum disease
might be a marker of a susceptible immune system or might directly
affect cancer risk."



Periodontal disease, tooth loss, and cancer risk in male
health professionals: a prospective cohort study

Dominique S Michaud, Yan Liu, Mara Meyer, Edward Giovannucci, Kaumudi
Joshipura

Lancet Oncol 2008; 9: 550-58

DOI:10.1016/S1470-2045(08)70106-2

Click Here For Journal



Written by Anna Sophia McKenney

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