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Published on: March 12, 2016
Cancer and glaucoma: A systematic review
Tammy Si Yue Yim1, Titus Hutch Jr Yi Zheng Yim2, Kevin Kun Peng Wang3
1Department of General Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
Abstract:
ObjectiveGlaucoma and cancer are debilitating diseases with increasing global prevalence and morbidity. However, current literature lacks a systematic consolidation of their relationships and interactions. This systematic review aims to (A) summarize the association between intraocular/non-ocular cancers and their treatments with the prevalence and etiology of glaucoma, (B) explore glaucoma as a risk factor for complications or poor prognosis for intraocular cancer, and (C) explore the management of glaucoma secondary to cancer therapies.MethodsA systematic search was performed from inception to July 2025 across three databases with variants of 'cancer' and 'glaucoma' as search terms. Findings were narratively synthesized.ResultsOf 8,103 identified studies, 44 were included in this review. Eighteen studies reported increased glaucoma prevalence amongst intraocular and non-ocular cancer patients. Fifteen studies suggested increased risk of regional invasion, metastases, and high-risk histopathologies when intraocular cancers co-occurred with glaucoma. Corticosteroids in cancer therapy have been linked to intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation, while androgen deprivation therapy was associated with lowered glaucoma risk.ConclusionGiven the relationship between glaucoma and intraocular/non-ocular cancers, strategies to monitor and manage glaucoma risk following cancer diagnosis and/or therapy may be considered. Glaucoma may be an early sign of complications in intraocular cancers.
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