Incidence of Cancer Among Persons With Schizophrenia and Their Relatives

Abstract
NUMEROUS reports have suggested that the rates of physical illness differ between patients with schizophrenia and the general population. Although most evidence must be regarded as anecdotal,%1 some observations deserve further study, among them a decreased incidence of lung cancer,%2,3 which is counterintuitive given the increased rate and intensity of smoking among individuals with schizophrenia.%4 In genetic terms, the hypothesis is attractive that a schizophrenia vulnerability gene would simultaneously decrease the risk of lung cancer, despite heavy exposure to the strongest known environmental risk factor: tobacco smoke.

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