Substance use disorders are highly variable among cancer patient populations, and new research points to five cancers with the highest prevalence of SUDs, according to a study published Jan. 11 in JAMA.
Some people are predisposed to cancer because of their substance use history, such as the connection between smoking and lung cancer, while others use substances to manage cancer-related symptoms.
"Yet the intersection of substance use disorder and cancer is understudied," the researchers wrote.
To close the gap in research, the study authors evaluated records of more than 6,000 cancer patients between 2015 and 2020. Overall, the SUD rate was 3.83% of the cohort.
The five cancers with the highest SUD prevalence were head and neck cancer (9%), esophageal cancer (9%), gastric cancer (9%), cervical cancer (6%) and melanoma (6%). Alcohol use disorder was the most common among survivors of head and neck cancer, cervical cancer and melanoma; cannabis use disorder was most prevalent among esophageal and gastric cancer patients.
The findings can be a springboard for personalized efforts to integrate cancer and addiction care, the researchers concluded.