(42) Migraine and Risk of Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Danish Population-Based Cohort Study

Friday, August 26, 2022

8:00 AM – 6:00 PM CEST

Location: Hall C

Publication Number: 373

Presenting Author(s)

Cecilia H. Fuglsang
– Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Midtjylland, Denmark

Co-Author(s)

Holly Elser
– Department of Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, United States
Nils Skajaa
– 8200 Aarhus N, Midtjylland, Denmark
Vera Ehrenstein, MPH, DSc
– Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
D�ra K�rmendin� Farkas
– Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Midtjylland, Denmark
Henrik Toft Sørensen, MD, PhD, DMSc, DSc
– Professor & Chair, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark, Midtjylland, Denmark

Background: Evidence on migraine and cancer risk is sparse. Migraine treatment with aspirin or NSAIDs may affect gastrointestinal cancer risk.

Objectives: Examine the association of migraine with overall cancer and gastrointestinal cancer.

Methods: Using prospectively collected data from Danish medical registries, we conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study from 1995-2017. All individuals with a first-time hospital diagnosis of migraine during the study period were included. Individuals with a cancer diagnosis prior to the migraine diagnosis were excluded. Follow-up extended from one year after migraine diagnosis until diagnosis of cancer, death, emigration, or end of study period (December 31, 2017), whichever came first. We calculated age and sex-standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for overall cancer and gastrointestinal cancers based on national cancer rates.

Results: We identified 72,826 individuals with a first-time diagnosis of migraine, of whom 3,090 were diagnosed with cancer during follow-up. The SIR for overall cancer was 0.99 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.96-1.03]. The SIR for gastrointestinal cancers was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70-0.87). Reduced risk of gastrointestinal cancer was mainly driven by stomach cancer [SIR: 0.60 (95% CI: 0.38-0.90)] and colorectal cancer [SIR: 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70-0.89)].

Conclusions: Migraine was not associated with overall cancer risk, but was associated with reduced risk of gastrointestinal cancer. Aspirin and NSAIDs are common migraine treatments known to reduce risk of stomach and colorectal cancer. The reduced risk of these cancer types could be attributable to frequent use of these drugs.