Inverse cancer comorbidity: a serendipitous opportunity to gain insight into CNS disorders.

Inverse comorbidity is a lower-than-expected probability of disease occuring in individuals who have been diagnosed with other medical conditions. Emerging evidence points to inverse cancer comorbidity in people with certain CNS disorders. In this Opinion article, we discuss the evidence for this intriguing association and possible underlying mechanisms. We believe that this association is an invaluable opportunity to gain insight into the pathogenesis of these diseases, and understanding why certain individuals with CNS disorders are protected against many different types of cancer could help to develop new and improved treatments.