Cancer Incidence in Hemodialysis Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease

Background: The number of individuals undergoing dialysis is rising. Impaired renal function has been linked to a heightened risk of cancer. This study aimed to examine cancer incidence among hemodialysis (HD) patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed the medical records of individuals with newly diagnosed end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who initiated HD sessions between July 2018 and December 2023 at Urmia Imam Khomeini hospital. The data collected for this study included patient demographics, underlying diseases, malignancy status, and duration of malignancy (less than ten years, 10–20 years, and over 20 years). The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: The study included 192 patients, with a mean age of 64.45±13.70 years. Of these, 117 (60.9%) were male and 75 (39.1%) were female. The majority of participants (68.8%) resided in urban areas. Hypertension (HTN) was the most common underlying disease (25%), while 32.8% had no reported underlying conditions. Eighteen (9.4%) patients were diagnosed with malignancy, with multiple myeloma being the most prevalent type (43.4%). The remaining 174 (90.6%) patients were not diagnosed with cancer. The onset of malignancy occurred within ten years for the majority of patients (72.2%). No significant association was found between the prevalence of malignancy and patients’ age (P<0.136) and gender (P<0.763). Conclusion: A significantly elevated incidence of cancer was observed in patients undergoing chronic HD for ESRD, underscoring the critical development of a targeted cancer screening strategy for this vulnerable population.