TOPLINE:

Patients with acromegaly had a higher risk for overall and several specific cancers than control individuals from the general population, with the increased risk being evident even 5 years before acromegaly diagnosis. The risk for cancer-related mortality was higher among those aged 40-60 years.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers in Sweden conducted a nationwide cohort study to assess the risk for cancer (overall and by specific cancer types) and cancer-related mortality in patients with acromegaly.
• They analysed data of 1035 patients with acromegaly (median age, 52 years; 49.5% women) and 10,261 matched control individuals from the general population (median age, 52 years; 49.3% women).
• Information on the first occurrence of malignant tumour was collected from 5 years before the date of acromegaly diagnosis through the end of follow‑up; data on cancer diagnoses and mortality were obtained from Swedish national registers.
• The effect of biochemical control on the risk for cancer was also evaluated; biochemical control was defined as serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels within the laboratory's age-specific reference range.
• The median duration of follow-up was 10.8 years for the acromegaly group and 11 years for the control group.

TAKEAWAY:

• When follow-up started at the time of acromegaly diagnosis, patients with acromegaly vs control individuals had significantly higher risks for overall cancer (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.26), colorectal cancer (aHR, 1.73), lung cancer (aHR, 1.92), and haematologic cancer (aHR, 1.73; P < .05 for all); biochemical control had no major effect on the risk for overall cancer in patients with acromegaly.
• When the observation window was expanded to include the 5 years before acromegaly diagnosis, these associations persisted and also became significant for breast cancer in women (aHR, 1.46; P = .041).
• The risk for overall mortality was increased in patients with acromegaly vs control individuals (aHR, 1.19; P = .019), and the risk for cancer-related mortality was higher in those with acromegaly aged 40-60 years (aHR, 1.54; P = .031).
• Among patients with acromegaly, those who did not have biochemical control had a higher risk for death from any cause than those who were biochemically controlled, but no significant difference in cancer‑specific mortality was observed between these two groups.

IN PRACTICE:

"Our findings support attention for symptoms of specific cancers immediately after the diagnosis of acromegaly and also calls for patients to participate in national cancer screening programs," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Erika Tsatsaris, Department of Medical Sciences, Endocrinology and Mineral Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. It was published online on March 30, 2026, in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

LIMITATIONS:

Data on actual serum growth hormone and IGF-1 levels were not recorded in the Swedish registers from the start. This study lacked data on smoking habits and socioeconomic and environmental factors, which could have influenced certain cancer types.

DISCLOSURES:

This study received funding through grants from the Swedish state under the agreement between the Swedish government and County Council of Uppsala and the Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden and an unrestricted grant from Pfizer, Inc. One author declared serving as an editorial board member for The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and having no role in the journal's evaluation of the manuscript.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.