Link between B12 PA and high incidence of leukemia

[CH52]

I haven't posted in quite a while but have been getting cautioned by my oncologist regarding a high incidence of leukemia developing in PA patients with. Has anyone else heard this? This was first time it was brought up since my diagnosis a year ago.

[CH52]

Sorry my post screwed up! ...With a formal diagnosis of PA and a destroyed intrinsic factor.

[helvella]

This could be of interest:

Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015 Dec; 13(13): 2282–2289.e4.

Published online 2015 Jun 14. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2015.05.040

PMCID: PMC4655146

NIHMSID: NIHMS700392

PMID: 26079040

Cancer Risk Following Pernicious Anemia in the US Elderly Population

Gwen Murphy,1 Sanford M. Dawsey,1 Eric A. Engels,1 Winnie Ricker,2 Ruth Parsons,2 Arash Etemadi,1 Shih-Wen Lin,1 Christian C. Abnet,1 and Neal D. Freedman1

1Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

2Information Management Services, Inc., Calverton, MD

Abstract

Background & Aims

Pernicious anemia, a result of autoimmune gastritis, is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency, affecting 2%–5% of the elderly population. Treatment with vitamin B12 cures the anemia, but not the gastritis. Findings from small studies indicated that patients with pernicious anemia could have an increased risk of cancer.

Rest of paper freely accessible here:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[CH52 in reply to helvella]

Thank you so much! I didn’t have a clue.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

hi CH52 - there is a strong correlation between patients being treated for PA and higher incidence of cancers generally - however, no causal link has actually been established. Given that B12 deficiency is also known to increase the risks of cancers its quite possible that the causal link is actually B12 deficiency (particularly given the chronic undertreatment of B12 deficiency).

Sounds like your oncologist needs to go on a logic/statistics course so they understand the difference between a correlation and a causal link ... and to be honest most GPs, and most of the officials at the Department of Health could do with the same. I can literally explode when I read the papers and there is some new pronouncement that x should be avoided because there is a statistical correlation with y .... rather than waiting until the causal link has actually been established.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Gambit62]

in the case of gastric cancers associated with gastritis there is a direct causal link with PA, but, as quoted above by helvella this isn't in anyway related to treatment with B12 and the recommendation is that people with PA are monitored for signs of this.

[CH52 in reply to Gambit62]

Gambit62, thank for clarifying this. I’m actually being monitored as I’ve had melanoma skin cancer and ovarian cancer so they are doing a bone marrow test annually on me. Perhaps that’s where the concern comes in? I was stunned when he mentioned it and said something to the effect that since I had so many mutated red cells when I was first diagnosed and still occasionally get a non normal red blood cell in my labs that are run every 6 weeks that it needed to be monitored. I was sick to my stomach by the time I got home so probably only heard half of what he said after that. Thank you!

[CH52 in reply to Gambit62]

Oh I also wanted to let you all know I have felt fantastic this entire winter with daily cross country skiing, snowshoeing to pack trails and dog sledding in my woods up north. Still snowing today! Nothing is stopping me this year. I have only the pins and needles and occasional foggy brain but very strong and energized otherwise. This just floored me a bit.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to CH52]

its easy to get thrown by something and once you are thrown it's very difficult to really take anything in. Would you be able to put together a list of questions and may be go with a friend next time just so there is another set of ears in the room to aid communication?

[CH52 in reply to Gambit62]

Oh gambit I wish I could but I'm alone out here and don't have family or friends close by. My sister in law and best friend is coming to visit in September so may try and schedule appointment while she is here. I live a very solitary life out here.

[Trulyradical in reply to Gambit62]

Go Gambit! 😊