Lupus and Cancer

Lupus may sound scary to many as its prevalence may affect the immune system by making it hyperactive to the extent that it starts attacking healthy tissues. Making matters worse, lupus and cancer are closely associated and affect women more than men. The most common symptoms of lupus and cancer are arthritis and rash on the skin. The person would also experience fatigue and fever.

Lupus and cancer relationship

The risk of the following increases if a person has lupus:

Breast cancer

Any woman can experience breast cancer, but anyone affected by lupus has higher chances of having breast cancer. When estrogen level increases in a woman with lupus, the risk of breast cancer goes up.

Lung cancer

People with lupus are 1.4 times vulnerable to lung cancer. Interestingly, patients with lupus and cancer experience a rare type of lung cancer. In majority cases, the people who suffer from lung cancer smoke a lot. Therefore, people with lupus should be careful about their health and should not smoke.

Lupus and cancer of the cervix

Through lupus and cancer research, it is evident that women with lupus would have a positive cervical cancer test and a PAP test. Many doctors recommend the HPV vaccine to women with lupus. The vaccine reduces the risk of cervical cancer to a great extent.

Habits to adopt

A person who is suffering from lupus should adopt healthy habits and risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and hormone replacement therapy should be taken care of so that chances of cancer can be reduced.

Rheumatology Care of North Houston provides a diagnosis of lupus and also makes the patients aware of the symptoms that may increase the risk of cancer. If you think you are having symptoms that might cause lupus, call us on 832.532.9779