The overall risk for cancer is slightly increased among patients aged above 40 within their first year of a celiac disease diagnosis; however, the risk declines afterwards, suggests a study of around 47,000 individuals with celiac disease.

First author Benjamin Lebwohl said that celiac disease is tied to a heightened risk of cancer, and this could be due to the long-term inflammation caused by gluten. The nationwide cohort study conducted in Sweden included 47,241 patients with celiac disease. Of these, 64% were diagnosed since 2000. Each patient was age- and sex-matched to up to five control subjects. There was a 1.11-times increased risk of cancer overall, after a median follow-up of 11.5 years, in patients with celiac disease, in comparison with controls. The incidences of cancer were 6.5 and 5.7, respectively, per 1,000 person-years. Most of the excess risk was attributed to gastrointestinal and hematologic cancer. The overall risk increased in the first year following the diagnosis of celiac disease (HR, 2.47; 95% CI, 2.22-2.74), but not after that (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.97-1.05). According to Lebwohl, it seems that the increased risk of cancer in celiac disease patients decreased over time, and this might be tied to the beneficial effect of a gluten-free diet in the long run. The study is published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology… (Medscape)