Researchers from the Family Medicine Department of Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea) reported a potential link between several types of cancer and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) based on a population study.

The researchers believe that age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cancer may share similar risk factors, indicating possible common pathogenic pathways. They analyzed data spanning 10 years from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, which included individuals participating in a national health screening program. Participants were classified based on the presence of AMD and visual impairment.

The study group comprised over 4 million patients, of whom 51,596 had AMD, and among those with AMD, 3,683 had visual impairment. The average follow-up period for patients was 9.6 years.

Interestingly, the overall risk of cancer was negligible. However, the risk of hyper-vascular cancers, such as thyroid and kidney cancer, was higher, while the risk of other cancers was lower in the AMD group compared to the group without AMD.

This research highlights a potential association between AMD and certain types of cancer. The elevated risk of kidney and thyroid cancer among AMD patients suggests a connection with hyper-vascular malignancies.

Link:

Park J, Jung W, Han K, et al. Association between age-related macular degeneration and risk of incident cancer. Br J Ophthalmol. 2024; published online February 28; https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo-2023-323874