Does multiple sclerosis play a role in cancer screening and diagnosis?

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are less likely than women without multiple sclerosis, according to a new study published online April 27, 2022 in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating disease, and mobility can make it difficult for people with multiple sclerosis to get regular cancer screenings," said study author Ruth Ann Marie, MD, Manitoba, Canada.

In the study, researchers looked at health care data for 14.

The researchers then looked at the medical data of the study participants

Mary said: "As you age, disability and cancer risk from multiple sclerosis also increases, so people with multiple sclerosis may find it harder to get regular mammograms as they age.

The researchers also found that people with multiple sclerosis were twice as likely to be detected with colorectal cancer in stage 1 (the earliest stage of the cancer) as those without

"Patients with multiple sclerosis have a high rate of intestinal symptoms and gastrointestinal disturbances, which may contribute to symptoms shared with colorectal cancer," Mary said

The researchers also found that 21 percent of people with multiple sclerosis and breast cancer and 33 percent of people with multiple sclerosis and colorectal cancer were disabled enough to require home or long-term care

A limitation of the study is that it did not include the time frame between when a person first noticed cancer symptoms and when they told their doctor

This research was funded by the Canadian Medical Association

Learn more about multiple sclerosis at BrainandLife.

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The American Academy of Neurology is the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with more than 38,000 members