Cancer death risk highest in female schizophrenics: Study

Overall, the death rate in patients of schizophrenia is four times higher than the mortality rate in the general population. The leading cause of death in schizophrenics is suicide, followed by cancer, suggests the new study.

Schizophrenics studied and analyzed
The present study, conducted by researchers from the University of Reims, Robert Debré Hospital, France, examined 3,470 patients of schizophrenia.

The analysis of these patients that lasted for 11 years between 1993 and 2004 primarily pertained to tracking the cancer incidence in these patients.

At the time of enrollment, approximately 66 percent of the respondents were aged between 39 and 64. Overall, the patients ranged in age from 18 to 64. During the course of the study, 476 patients or 14 percent of the patients passed away.

Female schizophrenics face higher risk of cancer death
The study that is to appear in the Aug.1 issue of Cancer reported that in case of schizophrenic women, fatalities due to cancer were twice than that of the general population. Also, deaths from breast cancer were almost three times higher in them than the rate of death in the general population.

Among the male population, the mortality rate due to cancer was not significantly different when schizophrenics and the general population were compared. However, lung cancer death rate was about twice that of the death rate in the general male population.

Lead investigator of the study, Dr. Frederic Limosin said, “Cancer is the second leading cause of death in schizophrenic patients. Later diagnosis and treatment issues may explain this, but there may also be something else going on."

The mortality rate among schizophrenics due to suicide was found to be 15 times higher than the death rate due to suicide in the general population.