A study reports genetic evidence that certain mental health disorders may influence the development of specific gynecological cancers, of which endometrial cancer is a subtype. This study was recently published in Discover Oncology.
Studies have suggested that there may be a link between cancer risk and mental health diagnoses, but the exact relationship remains a mystery.
The Mendelian randomization method is a robust means to assess whether risk factors and specific disease outcomes can be said to be “causal”, meaning that one causes the other, with the relationship going beyond mere association.
Researchers used the Mendelian randomization method to explore the genetic relationship between psychiatric diseases and gynecological cancers. In this study, psychiatric diseases—schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—were deemed “exposure” variables, while gynecological cancers—cervical, ovarian and endometrial—were deemed “outcome” variables.
Read more about endometrial cancer causes and risk factors
For this study, the research team accessed data from genome-wide association studies, which are used to help scientists identify genes associated with a particular disease. The results of this study showed that genetically predicted MDD had a causal relationship with the risk of developing low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) and mucinous ovarian cancer. ADHD was found to be causally associated with an increased risk of developing LGSOC. Meanwhile, BD was linked to a lower risk of developing endometrioid histology uterine cancer.
The findings of this study indicate that specific mental health disorders may play a role in the development of certain gynecological cancers.
“This discovery addresses a critical gap in research on mental health and cancer and emphasizes the need for enhanced early cancer screening and monitoring in individuals with psychiatric disorders, aiming to improve health outcomes in high-risk populations,” the authors of the study wrote.
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