12 Apr 2012

Having Huntington’s ‘protects against cancer’

People with Huntington’s disease have a reduced risk of getting cancer, according to research published in the Lancet medical journal.

People with Huntington's disease have a reduced risk of getting cancer, according to research published in the Lancet medical journal. (Getty)

The group of rare brain-degenerative disorders – known as polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases – are characterised by an expansion of certain repeats in genes, which eventually leads to dysfunction and cell death that could possibly be responsible for the reduction in the development of cancer in these patients.

The Sweden-based authors of the research identified 1510 patients with a range of PolyQ diseases, including Huntington’s, spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) and hereditary ataxia (HA). Cancer was diagnosed in 91 Huntingdon’s patients, 34 SMBA patients, and 421 HA patients.

The chances of being diagnosed with cancer were 53 per cent lower in HD patients, 35 per cent lower in SBMA patients, and 23 per cent lower in HA patients, compared with the general population. Before diagnosis of a polyQ disease, the risk of cancer was even lower.

The authors conclude: “Our findings suggest a common mechanism in patients with polyQ diseases that protects against the development of cancer… Future studies should investigate the specific biological mechanisms underlying the reduced cancer risk in patients with polyQ diseases.”