Women with schizophrenia at higher risk of breast cancer - JAMA

Patients with schizophrenia are considered to have many risk factors for the development of cancer.But there is uncertainty about the incidence of breast cancer in women with schizophrenia compared with the general population .Dr.Chuanjun Zhuo and associates performed an updated meta-analysis to evaluate the association between schizophrenia and the risk of breast cancer.The authors found that women with schizophrenia may have an increased risk for breast cancer.The results of meta-analysis have been published in JAMA Psychiatry.

The meta-analysis adhered to Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Data extraction was performed independently

Researchers examined 12 retrospective cohort studies n this meta-analysis that included 125 760 women and in which conventional methods of meta-analysis had been used, schizophrenia in women was associated with an increased breast cancer incidence compared with the general population. However, substantial between-study variance is present that is reflected by the wide prediction interval.

Overall, women with schizophrenia had a 31% increased risk for breast cancer.The results suggest that the incidence of breast cancer in women with schizophrenia is higher than that of the general female population.The authors point to substantial heterogeneity across the study results. Nonetheless, they conclude, "Women with schizophrenia deserve intensive prevention and treatment of breast cancer."

The researchers concluded that the incidence of breast cancer in women with schizophrenia is higher than that of the general female population. However, significant heterogeneity exists among the included studies. Women with schizophrenia deserve intensive prevention and treatment of breast cancer.