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Painkillers cut risk of mouth cancer, study finds

Posted on: Thursday, 6 October 2005, 20:20 CDT

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.

Source: REUTERS

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