Painkillers cut risk of mouth cancer, study finds

LONDON (Reuters) – Commonly used painkillers can reduce the
risk of mouth cancer in smokers but long-term use could raise
the odds of dying from heart disease, Norwegian scientists said
on Friday.

The painkillers, known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs, or NSAIDS, halved the odds of developing mouth cancer in
a study of nearly 500 smokers. The effect was comparable to
quitting smoking.

However, the drugs did not increase overall survival
because the patients had a higher risk of dying of
cardiovascular disease.

“These findings highlight the need for a careful
risk-benefit analysis when the long-term use of NSAIDS is
considered,” Dr Jon Sudbo, of the Norwegian Radium Hospital in
Oslo, said in the report in The Lancet medical journal.

Commonly used NSAIDs include ibuprofen and naproxen, which
is sold over-the-counter by Bayer as Aleve. Newer painkillers
known as COX-2 inhibitors, including Merck’s Vioxx, have been
linked to a risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market in September, 2004,
following safety concerns.

NSAIDS work by suppressing two enzymes called COX-1 and
COX-2. However, they can cause gastrointestinal bleeding. COX-2
inhibitors were designed to limit the damage.

Sudbo and his team compared the use of NSAIDS on 454 heavy
smokers with oral cancer and an equal number of smokers who did
not have cancer. Just over 263 people in the study had used
NSAIDS.

The researchers said NSAIDS cut the risk of oral cancer by
53 percent in smokers. However, 42 percent of people who took
the drugs died of cardiovascular disease, compared with 7
percent in the group that did not use NSAIDS.

Sudbo said oral cancer prevention studies which will shed
more light on the risks and benefits of the drugs are planned
or under way.

In the United States alone, nearly 30,000 people are
diagnosed with cancer of the mouth, lips or part of the throat
or back of the mouth, according to the National Cancer
Institute.

Smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes and chewing tobacco
account for most oral cancers. People who drink alcohol also
have a higher risk of the disease then those who don’t.

“Over the next few years, these trials will determine
whether NSAIDS can reduce the devastating effect of oral cancer
on patients, their families and public health,” he added.