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Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety
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Causal Relationship Between Anxiety Disorders and Cancers: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.
Jingyang Su1, Jialin Zhang2, Jue Wang3
1Department of General Internal Medicine, Tongde Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province), Hangzhou, China.
Brain and Behavior
|October 16, 2025
Summary
This study found no genetic evidence linking anxiety disorders to the development of common cancers. Mendelian randomization analysis indicates anxiety disorders do not increase cancer risk, nor do cancers cause anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatric Genetics
- Cancer Epidemiology
Background:
- Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with cancer diagnoses.
- Understanding the potential causal link is crucial for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the bidirectional causal relationship between anxiety disorders and common cancers using genetic data.
- To determine if genetic predisposition to anxiety influences cancer risk, or vice versa.
Main Methods:
- Employed Mendelian randomization (MR) utilizing summary statistics from genome-wide association studies.
- Selected genetic variants as instrumental variables for anxiety disorders and common cancers.
- Applied inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median estimation methods for analysis.
Main Results:
- Bidirectional MR analysis showed no evidence of a causal relationship between anxiety disorders and common cancers.
- Anxiety disorders were not genetically associated with an increased risk of developing common cancers.
- Common cancers did not demonstrate a significant causal effect on anxiety disorders.
Conclusions:
- Genetic analysis indicates no significant causal link between anxiety disorders and the risk of developing common cancers.
- The findings suggest that anxiety and cancer may share common risk factors or occur concurrently without a direct causal pathway.
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