Decoding the genetic links between substance use disorder and cancer vulnerability

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Addiction Medicine
• Genetic Epidemiology

Background:

• Cancer is a major global health burden, with pain often managed by cannabis and opioids.
• Concerns exist regarding the long-term health effects of these substances, including potential cancer risks.
• The relationship between substance use disorders (SUDs) and cancer susceptibility is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal effects of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) on cancer vulnerability.
• To clarify the controversial link between SUDs and cancer susceptibility using genetic data.

Main Methods:

• A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was performed.
• Genome-wide association study summary statistics from FinnGen and UK Biobank were utilized.
• Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) analysis and sensitivity analyses were conducted.

Main Results:

• Opioid use disorder (OUD) was causally associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer (OR=1.040), acute myeloid leukemia (OR=0.931), and ovarian cancer (OR=0.937).
• Sensitivity analyses supported these findings, and reverse MR analyses showed no significant causal effect of these cancers on OUD.
• No significant causal relationship was found between cannabis use disorder (CUD) and any cancer type.

Conclusions:

• This study suggests a potential causal link between OUD and increased susceptibility to bladder, acute myeloid leukemia, and ovarian cancers.
• Further research in diverse populations is warranted to confirm these findings.
• The results highlight the need to explore the potential oncogenic effects of substance use disorders.