The Holocaust Is a Significant and Independent Risk Factor of Late-Onset Cancers: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Original Data on Jewish Israeli, Jewish Non-Israeli and Non-Jewish Non-Israeli Survivors.
Holocaust
Nazi doctors
PTSD
Shoah
breast cancer
cancer
colorectal cancer
lung cancer
review
Journal
Anticancer research
ISSN: 1791-7530
Titre abrégé: Anticancer Res
Pays: Greece
ID NLM: 8102988
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Jun 2021
Jun 2021
Historique:
received:
04
04
2021
revised:
24
04
2021
accepted:
07
05
2021
entrez:
4
6
2021
pubmed:
5
6
2021
medline:
22
6
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Seventy-six years after Auschwitz Liberation, the Holocaust keeps on persecuting its surviving victims. As witnessed by the psychiatric and medical literature in the last decades, in fact, the Holocaust survivors (HS) appear to suffer from several Shoah-related late-onset diseases impacting their survival, such as internal illnesses and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cancer represents a further severe pathology which seems to be connected with the Holocaust experience. Our aim was to review the existing knowledge of Holocaust-related cancer in HS in order to assess its real incidence and clinicoprognostic significance. We systematically reviewed the literature dealing with Israeli Jewish and non-Jewish non-Israeli HS developing cancer. We also reviewed and analyzed the cancer data of noted Jewish HS not resident or having resided in Israel available as public information. We found 16 and 15 studies on Israeli Jews and non-Jewish non-Israeli survivors, respectively. A statistically significant association between the Holocaust and development of late-onset cancer in HS was seen in most studies with cancer adversely impacting the survival. We also selected 330 noted Jewish non-Israeli HS: genocide-related late-onset cancer resulted to be a significant and independent risk factor of poor prognosis (p<0.0001) imparting shorter survival in affected versus non-cancer subjects (57 versus 64 years, respectively, p=0.0001). Although 76 years have passed, our review shows how the Holocaust keeps on burdening its survivors. Moreover, we offered the first analysis of Jewish HS not resident or having resided in Israel in terms of genocide-related late-onset diseases focusing on cancer. Further studies on Jewish non-Israeli HS are needed in order to corroborate our findings on late-onset cancer occurring in this targeted population.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND/AIM
OBJECTIVE
Seventy-six years after Auschwitz Liberation, the Holocaust keeps on persecuting its surviving victims. As witnessed by the psychiatric and medical literature in the last decades, in fact, the Holocaust survivors (HS) appear to suffer from several Shoah-related late-onset diseases impacting their survival, such as internal illnesses and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cancer represents a further severe pathology which seems to be connected with the Holocaust experience. Our aim was to review the existing knowledge of Holocaust-related cancer in HS in order to assess its real incidence and clinicoprognostic significance.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
METHODS
We systematically reviewed the literature dealing with Israeli Jewish and non-Jewish non-Israeli HS developing cancer. We also reviewed and analyzed the cancer data of noted Jewish HS not resident or having resided in Israel available as public information.
RESULTS
RESULTS
We found 16 and 15 studies on Israeli Jews and non-Jewish non-Israeli survivors, respectively. A statistically significant association between the Holocaust and development of late-onset cancer in HS was seen in most studies with cancer adversely impacting the survival. We also selected 330 noted Jewish non-Israeli HS: genocide-related late-onset cancer resulted to be a significant and independent risk factor of poor prognosis (p<0.0001) imparting shorter survival in affected versus non-cancer subjects (57 versus 64 years, respectively, p=0.0001).
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
Although 76 years have passed, our review shows how the Holocaust keeps on burdening its survivors. Moreover, we offered the first analysis of Jewish HS not resident or having resided in Israel in terms of genocide-related late-onset diseases focusing on cancer. Further studies on Jewish non-Israeli HS are needed in order to corroborate our findings on late-onset cancer occurring in this targeted population.
Identifiants
pubmed: 34083265
pii: 41/6/2745
doi: 10.21873/anticanres.15056
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Systematic Review
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
2745-2757Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2021 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.