It is well documented that patients with cancer have much higher rates of shingles. But a new study shows that, contrary to what many people think, shingles sufferers don’t have higher rates of cancer. “There is no increased risk of cancer in patients with herpes zoster,” Dr. Yi-Tsung Lin, an infectious-disease specialist at Taipei Veterans’ General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, said in an interview. “The virus does not appear to play any role in the development of cancer.” Read more here.
Study mentioned: Wang Y, et al. Risk of cancer among patients with herpes zoster infection: a population-based study. CMAJ online first September 17, 2012.
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