Inverse correlation between psychotic disorders and tumor development

Abstract

Patients suffering from psychotic disorders have an increased morbidity compared with control population. Moreover, these patients are prone to habits such as smoking or obesity, which in fact are risk factors for developing neoplasias. Objective: The current study is aimed to determine the prevalence of oncologic processes (lung, colon and prostate cancer) among patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders. Methods: A total of 365 patients from the Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón (HUFA) were included in the study. All of them were diagnosed with a psychotic disorder from 2013 to 2016. Results: Studying the prevalence of oncologic processes (lung, colon and prostate cancer) between both groups revealed a significant reduction in patients diagnosed with a psychotic disorder compared with the control populations (p-value <0,05). Conclusions: Even though patients diagnosed with a psychotic disorder have a considerable morbidity and several risk factors related with the development of neoplasias, we can conclude that these patients are less likely to suffer from the aforementioned types of cancer.