A new study using a large representative sample of patients in the United Kingdom found a 26% higher incidence risk of developing UTC in patients with cancer. The findings, published in the journal Urolithiasis, demonstrated an increased risk for UTC in 10 out of 12 common cancer types.
Researchers at the Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, used data from The Health Improvement Network database to evaluate the association between cancer history and subsequent UTC for the period 1990 to 2016. They included 124,901 exposed individuals who were matched to 476,203 control group by age, sex, body mass index and general practice.
Results showed 512 instances of UTC in the exposed group compared to 1787 in the control group. The incidence rate in the exposed group was 12.2 vs 9.6 per 10,000 person-years in the control group. The adjusted hazard ratio was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.14-1.39; P<.001) for risk of urolithiasis from exposure.
Besides cancer, the risk for UTC was significantly associated with diabetes, overweight, obesity, Crohn’s disease and hyperparathyroidism. Positive associations were observed for patients exposed to bladder cancer (aHR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.31-2.66; P=.001), colorectal cancer (aHR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.22-2.01; P<.0005) and prostate cancer (aHR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.00-1.47; P=.043).
The authors said, “our study suggests an association between cancer and the subsequent development of UTC. Findings are generalisable to the UK population, and potentially other developed nations sharing a similar climate and demography.”
“Alongside further research into potentially implicated mechanisms, we believe there is also imminent value in increasing clinical awareness of UTC as potential hurdles in the care of cancer patients. Wider recognition amongst clinicians of cancer as a risk factor for UTC could lead to improved diagnosis, management and prevention in this group,” they added.
