Possible relationship between neurocysticercosis and hematological malignancies

RESUMO

Background. Previous studies have shown an increased frequency of chromosomal abnormalities in lymphocytes from animals and humans with cysticercosis. Some reports have suggested an association between neurocysticercosis and cancer. Methods. We designed a mortality rate study from the autopsy files of the Department of pathology at the General Hospital of Mexico. A total of 1,271 autopsy files were reviewed. All files in which a malignant neoplasia was found during autopsy were selected a cases. Autopsies in which no malignant disease was found were used as controls. The odds ratio was determined between the frequency of neurocysticercosis in patients with any malignant neoplasia and that of the controls. Results. Neurocysticercosis was more frequent in cases with malignant hematological diseases (MHD), than in controls (p= 0.01). The odds ratio for this association was 3.54, with 95 percent confidence interval from 1.17-9-79. Conclusions. Most human cancers arise from the interaction of a multiplicity of factors, indluding xenobiotics and endogenous constituents. Therefore, while it will be difficult to demostrate that neurocysticercosis is a causal agent of malignant hematological diseases (MHD), it should be considered as a potential risk factor for cancer induction in countries where cysticercosis remains a public health problem