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[Herpes zoster and malignancy]
M Zaha1, I Hayashi, M Odashiro
1Department of Anesthesia, Hokkaido Kinikyou Chuo Hospital, Sapporo.
Masui. the Japanese Journal of Anesthesiology
|September 1, 1993
Summary
Hospitalized herpes zoster patients show a higher incidence of malignancy, particularly gastric cancer. Screening for cancer in these patients is recommended to improve early detection rates.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Context:
- Retrospective analysis of 220 hospitalized herpes zoster patients over 15 years.
- Investigated the association between herpes zoster (shingles) and underlying malignancy.
- Observed a higher-than-expected rate of cancer diagnosis in this patient cohort.
Purpose:
- To determine the prevalence of malignancy in hospitalized patients diagnosed with herpes zoster.
- To assess the diagnostic yield of cancer screening in herpes zoster patients.
- To evaluate the utility of malignancy screening in patients presenting with herpes zoster.
Summary:
- A retrospective survey identified 23 out of 220 (10.5%) herpes zoster patients with malignancy.
- Malignancy was newly diagnosed during hospitalization in 4 patients (1.8%), significantly exceeding the predicted rate (0.27%).
- Gastric cancer was the most common malignancy (3 out of 4 cases), with a 2.4% detection rate via screening upon admission.
Impact:
- Suggests a potential link between herpes zoster and occult malignancies.
- Highlights the importance of considering malignancy screening in hospitalized herpes zoster patients.
- Recommends routine cancer screening for hospitalized herpes zoster patients to enhance early cancer detection, especially for gastric cancer.