Cancer risk in patients with osteoporosis: a population-based cohort study

AbstractBackground: Osteoporosis has been associated with cancer development. We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan to evaluate this possible association of osteoporosis with subsequent cancer development.Methods: A total of 35,979 patients diagnosed with osteoporosis between 2000 and 2010 identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database comprised the osteoporosis cohort, and each patient was randomly frequency matched with one individual from the general population (without osteoporosis) based on age, sex, and year of osteoporosis diagnosis to form the non-osteoporosis (control) cohort. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals and determine the effect of osteoporosis on cancer risk.Results: Patients with osteoporosis showed a significantly higher risk of developing liver and thyroid cancers and lower risk of colorectal cancer than did individuals without osteoporosis. Male patients with...