Acromegaly linked to higher cancer risk

People with the rare growth hormone disorder acromegaly have a significantly higher risk of developing various types of cancer, often at ages younger than typically seen in the general population, according to a study being presented Monday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

"Our findings suggest that acromegaly may play a bigger role in cancer risk than previously thought, highlighting the need for increased awareness and early cancer screening in this population," said lead researcher Hitam Hagog Natour, M.D., a visiting scholar at the pancreatic cancer research lab, at the department of surgery in Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia, Penn.

Acromegaly is a disorder that occurs when the body produces too much growth hormone, putting patients at higher risk for developing certain types of cancer. Produced mainly in the pituitary gland, growth hormone controls the physical growth of the body. In adults, too much of this hormone causes bones, cartilage, body organs, and other tissues to increase in size. Common changes in appearance include enlarged or swollen nose, ears, hands, and feet.

Acromegaly is rare. Scientists estimate that between 3 and 14 of every 100,000 people have been diagnosed with acromegaly.

In the new study, the researchers compared 10,207 acromegaly patients to 102,070 matched controls-meaning each person with acromegaly was matched with 10 people without the disorder who were the same sex and age. The results showed that those with acromegaly had higher rates of cancers, including colon, gastric, breast, lung, ovarian, prostate and blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.

The study also found that higher levels of growth hormone were linked to a greater risk of developing cancer.

Compared to people without the condition, patients with acromegaly had:

• A 3.3 times higher risk of developing leukemia or lymphoma
• A 1.9 times higher risk of developing ovarian cancer
• A 1.8 times higher risk of developing breast cancer
• A 1.9 times higher risk of developing lung cancer
• A 1.5 times higher risk of developing prostate cancer

Some of these cancers also appeared at younger ages in the acromegaly group. Ovarian cancer appeared an average of 7.2 years earlier in patients with acromegaly compared to their matched controls, while lung cancer was diagnosed 3.2 years earlier, liver cancer appeared 6.3 years earlier and neuroendocrine cancer was diagnosed 5.7 years earlier.