Before everyone passes out at the headline, let’s look closer at the topic. Most research indicates no increased risk of cancer for people with auto-immune diseases affecting the central nervous system. However, in Taiwan a study was completed using the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance System between 1997-2010 looking at people diagnosed between those dates and compared those 1292 patients with 5168 people without MS. The results:

“Our study was a nationwide population-based cohort study, and it revealed unexpected findings,” said Dr. Sun. Specifically, the team found that individuals with multiple sclerosis were 85% more likely to develop cancer than the controls. Their risk of developing breast cancer was especially high, with more than a 2-fold increased risk over controls.” (Wiley)

Wiley. “Patients with MS may be at increased risk of developing cancer.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 January 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140114130842.htm>.