Association between multiple sclerosis and prostate cancer risk: A systematic review and meta‑analysis

Prostate cancer (PCa) risk in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) remains to be elucidated. The present study conducted a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between MS and PCa. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify studies on the PCa risk in patients with MS up to September 2022. A random effects meta-analyses model was performed to estimate the relative risk (RR) and the 95% confidence intervals (CI). All eight studies involving 210,943 patients with MS were identified and included in the meta-analysis. The present study revealed that there was no significant association between MS and the risk of PCa (RR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.56-1.08, P<0.0001). Subgroup analyses verified this conclusion when stratified by regions. However, after adjusting for potential confounders, the findings suggested conflicting results. The current evidence shows that compared with the population control, patients with MS have no relationship with PCa risk and further large samples and long-term trials are needed to verify these results.