Dr. Dominique Michaud, Imperial College London, and colleagues studied the medical records of 48,375 men and found 5,720 cases of cancer. Patients with a history of gum disease have been found to have a 14 percent higher risk of developing any form of cancer.
There are two main forms of gum disease: gingivitis -- inflammation of the gums and bleeding -- and the more severe: periodontal disease, which affects tissues and bone supporting the teeth, which has already been linked with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
The researchers however said that it is still not clear whether periodontal disease causes cancer or is merely an indicator of an impaired immune system that makes the patient more prone to various types of cancers.
Writing in Lancet Oncology, the team of researchers said that an immune system weakness may cause cancer and other illnesses. Blood cell cancers such as leukemia rose by 30 percent among men with gum disease.
While there was no rise in lung cancer, chances among those with gum disease who had never smoked, the researchers found a slight higher increase in the overall risk of any cancer, and a similar rise in the rate of blood cancers.
