Neoplasms Associated with the Onset of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Case–Control Study Using the All of Us Cohort

Purpose: This study investigated the association between prior diagnoses of neoplasms and the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted using health records from 2 724 individuals in the All of Us Program, a longitudinal cohort of U.S. adults. Odds ratios (OR) and Fisher’s exact tests were used to evaluate associations between neoplasms and AMD in a matched cohort. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis assessed how neoplasms affected time to AMD onset. Results: Benign neoplasms of the colon (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.55-2.33), skin (OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.16-1.84), and rectum (OR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.53-5.48) showing the strongest and statistically significant associations with AMD. Patients with these benign neoplasms also developed AMD earlier. Although malignant neoplasms of skin of face (OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.11-3.49), prostate (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 0.98-2.22), and breast (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 0.95-2.02) were also more frequent in AMD patients, these associations were not as significant. Conclusion: Insights into the associations between neoplasms and earlier AMD onset may help ophthalmologists identify at-risk patients and enable earlier intervention. These findings suggest shared pathophysiological mechanisms, such as chronic inflammation and vascular dysfunction, may contribute to both tumour formation and AMD development.