2022 Health Risks and Cancer

A new study conducted by researchers from Yale University explored how spending on cancer treatments globally affects the mortality rate. Their findings showed that the U.S. spends more than any country in the world on cancer care; however, six other countries spend less on these treatments and have better mortality rates. 

“There is a common perception that the U.S. offers the most advanced cancer care in the world,” said researcher Dr. Ryan Chow. “Our system is touted for developing new treatments and getting them to patients more quickly than other countries. We were curious whether the substantial U.S. investment on cancer care is indeed associated with better cancer outcomes.”

High costs may not improve health outcomes

The researchers analyzed data from nearly two dozen high-income countries. They looked specifically at costs related to cancer care and related deaths from September 2021, through March 2022. 

The team found that spending more on cancer didn’t yield the greatest health outcomes. The U.S. ranked first in spending on cancer care but did not have the best cancer mortality rate worldwide. There were six countries that spent less on cancer costs and had better mortality rates than the U.S. – Iceland, Switzerland, Australia, Korea, Finland, and Japan. 

“The U.S. is spending over $200 billion per year on cancer care – roughly $600 per person, in comparison to the average of $300 per person across other high-income countries,” said researcher Cary Gross. “This raises the key question: Are we getting our money’s worth?” 

The researchers also looked at how smoking affects cancer mortality rates around the world. Although the U.S. has lower smoking rates than other countries globally, its performance actually got worse when the researchers adjusted for this factor; there were nine countries with better cancer mortality rates than the U.S. after accounting for smoking status. 

The team hopes these findings highlight some of the ways that countries outside of the U.S. have managed to keep health care costs reasonable while also lengthening cancer patients’ lives. 

“The pattern of spending more and getting less is well-documented in the U.S. health care system; now we see it in cancer care, too,” said researcher Elizabeth Bradley. “Other countries and systems have much to teach the U.S. if we could be open to change.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Vermont explored how exposure to phthalates may affect kids’ long-term health. 

While the chemical is used in many everyday goods -- including perfumes, detergents, and fast food packaging -- the study findings show that exposure to phthalates may also increase children’s risk of cancer. 

“These results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that these ubiquitous chemicals have a negative impact on human health,” said researcher Thomas Ahern, Ph.D. “Our study characterized phthalate exposure based on prescription fills for phthalate-containing medications. While such exposures are typically much higher magnitude than what we would call ‘background’ environmental exposure, our findings warrant concern.” 

Assessing children’s cancer risk

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 1.3 million children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2017. They also looked at information from the Danish National Prescription Registry to understand how children were exposed to phthalates through prescriptions both in the womb and during childhood. The team compared both datasets to understand how phthalates affected kids’ cancer risk. 

The study showed that exposure to phthalates during childhood was linked with a 20% higher risk of cancer. The risk of lymphoma was twice as high for those exposed to higher levels of phthalates, and the risk of osteosarcoma was three times as high for those with the highest phthalate exposure. 

The team explained that the chemical significantly affects hormone levels. This can affect the function of several important organs over time, which may increase the risk of childhood cancer. 

“Although more studies are needed, exposure to phthalates has been linked to thyroid, breast, and other solid tumors,” said researcher Frances Carr, Ph.D. “Phthalates, like other plasticizers such as bisphenol A (BPA), are ubiquitous in the environment; age of exposure, as well as chronic low dose exposures, are significant risk factors for adverse health effects.” 

The researchers say the goal now is to work to minimize health risks by limiting kids’ exposure to phthalates. They hope to do more work in this area to better understand which specific chemicals pose the biggest risk to kids’ health. 

“While no direct correlation has been made between phthalates in our region and increased cancer risk, this study highlights the importance of environmental exposures and their relationship to cancer risk,” said researcher Dr. Randall Holcombe. “Ultimately, research like this will lead to a better understanding of how to mitigate the risks of environmental phthalates.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Case Western University explored how pre-existing conditions may increase consumers’ risk of cancer. 

According to their findings, men living with HIV (MLWH) may have a higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than those without the virus. 

“Using national Medicaid data, we observed an excess prevalence of cancer among MLWH, particularly for anal cancer, rectal cancer, and lymphoma,” the researchers wrote. “Overall, cancer prevalence was nearly twice as high in MLWH than in men without HIV enrolled in Medicaid.” 

HIV makes cancer more likely in men

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from Medicaid, which included information on over 7 million men without HIV and over 82,000 who had HIV. The team analyzed all of the participants’ health records and looked specifically at the risk of cancer both overall and for individual types of the disease. 

Ultimately, the risk of cancer was much higher for those living with HIV than for those without the virus. For men struggling with symptomatic cases of HIV, the risk of cancer was even higher. Additionally, younger men with HIV had a higher risk of developing cancer than older men with HIV. 

The researchers learned that these risks persisted among several different types of cancers, including lymphoma, rectal cancers, and anal cancers. The team believes this increased risk could be due to cancer-related risk factors that are common with HIV, including smoking and exposure to viruses like HPV, as well as a more rapid aging process that comes with HIV. 

With a better understanding of these risks, the researchers hope more work is done to start cancer screenings earlier, identify those with the highest risk, and encourage consumers to adopt healthier lifestyles. 

“Medicaid plays a key role in insuring people with HIV,” said researcher Siran Koroukian. “Our findings highlight the importance of the Medicaid program’s efforts to promote healthy behaviors and to promote vaccines against human papillomavirus in children and adolescents, as well as individualized cancer screenings.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine explored one of the risk factors that may contribute to colorectal cancer. Their work showed that taller consumers may be more susceptible to developing this condition than shorter consumers. 

"This is the largest study of its kind to date,” said researcher Dr. Gerard Mullin. “It builds on evidence that taller height is an overlooked risk factor, and it should be considered when evaluating and recommending patients for colorectal cancer screenings.” 

How height impacts cancer risk

The researchers gathered information from nearly 50 earlier studies that included data on over 280,000 cases of colorectal cancer. They also looked at data from nearly 1,500 colonoscopy patients who were enrolled in the Johns Hopkins Colon Biofilm study. The goal was to understand the link between height and colorectal cancer risk by taking information from both datasets.

Ultimately, the link between height and colorectal cancer risk was clear. The researchers learned that taller patients had a higher risk of being diagnosed with the disease than shorter patients. 

“The findings suggest that, overall, the tallest individuals within the highest percentile of height had a 24% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than the shortest within the lowest percentile,” Dr. Mullin said. “Every 10-centimeter increase (about 4 inches) in height was found to be associated with a 14% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and 6% increased odds of having adenomas.” 

The researchers speculate that this relationship between height and colorectal cancer risk may come down to organ size. They explained that taller people have larger organs, which may increase their risk of abnormalities that become cancerous. 

Identifying those at the highest risk

Age and genetics are currently the two biggest risk factors associated with colorectal cancer, so health care professionals analyze them to determine which consumers have the most risk. Based on these findings, the researchers hope that height is now used to identify patients who may be most likely to develop colorectal cancer. 

“For instance, tall athletes and individuals with inherited tallness, such as those with Marfan syndrome, could be screened earlier and the impact of height further explored,” said researcher Dr. Elinor Zhou. “We need more studies before we can definitively say at what height you would need earlier colorectal cancer screening.” 

“Greater awareness by the public and the government will help promote more interest and funding for research, which ultimately could change guidelines for physicians to consider height as a risk for cancer,” Mullin added. “There are well-known modifiable dietary associations for colorectal cancer, such as processed red meats and smoking, but guidelines currently are fixated on family history, and height is clinically neglected when it comes to risk screening.”