EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, June 06, 2011
People with Parkinson鈥檚 Disease May Have Double The Risk for Melanoma, a Dangerous Skin Cancer
ST. PAUL, Minn. -
An analysis of several studies shows that people with have a significantly higher risk of melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer and the leading cause of death from skin diseases. The research is published in the June 7, 2011, print issue of the medical journal of the . Parkinson鈥檚 disease is a brain disorder that causes tremors and difficulty with movement and walking. It affects about one million people in the United States. 鈥淧ast studies linking Parkinson鈥檚 disease and melanoma have not been conclusive, so we wanted to explore a larger group of studies to see whether the link was consistent,鈥 said study author Honglei Chen, MD, PhD, with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and a member of the 好色先生. The research examined 12 studies conducted from 1965 and 2010 that looked at the possible association between Parkinson鈥檚 disease and melanoma. Most of the studies had fewer than 10 cases with both conditions. The study found that men with Parkinson鈥檚 disease were twice as likely as those without Parkinson鈥檚 to have melanoma. Women with Parkinson鈥檚 disease were one-and-a-half times as likely to be diagnosed with the dangerous form of skin cancer compared to women without Parkinson鈥檚. There was no clear link found between Parkinson鈥檚 and non-melanoma skin cancer. 鈥淧arkinson鈥檚 disease patients in general have a lower risk for cancer, smoking-related cancers in particular, but they may have a higher risk for melanoma. One possible explanation for the link between Parkinson鈥檚 and melanoma is that the two diseases may share some genetic or environmental risk factors,鈥 Chen said. 鈥淗owever, our understanding of this link is very preliminary.鈥 The study was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.