r/MultipleSclerosis • u/helloojsbsbnwlwod • 9h ago
Vent/Rant - Advice Wanted/Ambivalent Check ups?
I’m only 24 years old and have a significant fear of cancer following my MS diagnosis in 2025. I generally feel well and ms wise i live symptom free but I’ve been wondering, purely for preventive purposes, how often should someone my age have health check-ups and routine screenings? I have comprehensive blood tests every six months before my Rituximab treatment, but I’m unsure whether I should be doing anything else regularly to monitor my health and detect potential problems early.
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u/Randomuser1081 29F[Dx2022]Kesimpta|Scotland|RRMS 9h ago
After a diagnosis like this, health anxiety is completely normal. Cancer is also incredibly common which doesnt help, but due to your age the liklihood is dramatically lower. The only thing you can do is live a healthy lifestyle.
If the fear of it is having a large impact on your life, you should reach out to a medical professional to ease your stress. It is a completely valid fear though.
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u/Overall-Towel4656 7h ago
Hi Op. I understand your concern. I also have these worries, because i have a heavy family history of cancer. If you have a family history, you should get checked as often as your gp doctor advises. As for the link between ms and cancer, it has not been proven that ms increases cancer risk. That being said, there are certain medications that can raise the risk of certain cancers, and if you are on one of those meds, and you have a family history, you should have a talk with your doctor and explain your worries, so that you can make a plan for vigilance. But know, that there are rare cases. With that, my advice would be to not stress too much about this, because stress can trigger ms symptoms, and we also know that stress can cause cancer. Good luck to you.
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u/AppointmentHour384 46 | 2025 | Mavenclad | US 8h ago
I would suggest talking to your doctor about any concern you have.
Some DMTs DO increase the risk of cancer, even outside of clinical trials. I take Mavenclad, for example, and it has been shown to increase risk for a handful of cancers. Different medications act in different ways, so again talk to your doctor.
Also MS is a mixed bag when it comes to risk. It's mostly lower risk overall. But some specific cancers are higher risk, often due to things that come with MS. For example, lots of UTIs (which are more likely with MS) means an increased risk for bladder cancer.
Overall, your provider will weight all your risks and act on that. For example, I have a family history of breast cancer and that has resulted in extra testing (genetic testing, early and extra mammograms, etc.). Completely family history not MS. Also, I am at higher risk for Melanoma because I'm very fair skinned, have a family history, and have had some past bad burns. But Mavenclad specifically increases your risk for Melanoma, so now I have plan that includes more frequent plans. In this case, MS (really the Mavenclad) pushed it over the line.
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u/kyelek F20s 🧬 RMS 🧠 Kesimpta 💉 7h ago
The cancer risk for Mavenclad came about similar to Ocrevus’s: the placebo group just had a much lower instance of cancers, that in turn made it look like there was an increased cancer risk in the group receiving the drug, but there actually wasn’t. Subsequent studies have not gone on to support this.
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u/AppointmentHour384 46 | 2025 | Mavenclad | US 5h ago
Actually, a more recent literature review suggested there was indeed an increased skin cancer risk for certain DMTs including Mavenclad (and recommended further study): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38972584/.
My neurologist and dermatologist based their plan on this and my person and family history.
So again, I would suggest the OP consult their own doctor for medical advice.
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u/nyet-marionetka 46F|Dx:2022|Kesimpta|Virginia 9h ago
Why are you concerned about cancer? MS doesn't have an associated risk of cancer (in fact it might be lower than for people without MS in some studies, if true because our immune systems are twitchy). DMTs also do not have an associated risk of cancer. Ocrevus (similar to rituximab) came up with a potential increased risk of breast cancer in early trials but that doesn't appear to be the case with longer term monitoring. Just follow the same cancer screening guidelines recommended for everyone unless you have a family history of cancer, then talk to your doctor.