Osteoporosis Drugs do not Increase Risk of Esophageal Cancer

	Tweet

Although some reports have suggested a link between the use of oral bisphosphonates (drugs that prevent the loss of bone mass) and esophageal cancer, analysis of medical data from more than 80,000 patients in the United Kingdom found that use of these drugs was not significantly associated with new cases of esophageal or gastric cancer, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

Bisphosphonates are mainly used to prevent or treat osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women. Their use has increased dramatically in recent years in the United States and other Western populations, and are now commonly prescribed in elderly women, according to background information in the article. “Esophagitis [inflammation of the esophagus] is a known adverse effect of bisphosphonate use, and recent reports suggest a link between bisphosphonate use and esophageal cancer, but this has not been robustly investigated,” the authors write. “Large studies with appropriate comparison groups, adequate follow-up, robust characterization of bisphosphonate exposure, and information on relevant confounders are required to determine whether bisphosphonates increase esophageal cancer risk.”

Chris R. Cardwell, Ph.D., of Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom, and colleagues investigated the association between bisphosphonate use and esophageal cancer by extracting data from the UK General Practice Research Database of patients treated with oral bisphosphonates, along with a group of patients not treated with these drugs (control cohort), between January 1996 and December 2006. Average follow-up time was 4.5 and 4.4 years in the bisphosphonate and control cohorts, respectively.

Excluding patients with less than 6 months follow-up, there were 41,826 members in each group (81 percent women; average age, 70.0 years). One hundred sixteen esophageal or gastric cancers (79 esophageal) occurred in the bisphosphonate cohort and 115 (72 esophageal) in the control cohort. Analysis of the incidence of these cancers among the bisphosphonate and control groups found no difference in risk of esophageal and gastric cancer combined between the cohorts for any bisphosphonate use or risk of esophageal cancer only. There also was no difference in risk of esophageal or gastric cancer by duration of bisphosphonate intake.

“In conclusion, in the UK GPRD patient population we found no evidence for a substantially increased risk of esophageal (or gastric) cancer in persons using oral bisphosphonates. These drugs should not be withheld, on the basis of possible esophageal cancer risk, from patients with a genuine clinical indication for their use,” the authors write.
(JAMA. 2010;304[6]:657-663. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://www.jamamedia.org)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Source:  American Medical Association (AMA)

RELATED STORIES:
Barrett’s Esophagus Patients Have Same Survival Rates as General Population   Aspirin Significantly Reduces Esophageal-Cancer Risk In People With Most- Aggressive Form Of Barrett   Daily drinking may raise risk of several cancers   Red meat linked to esophageal, stomach cancer risks   Can Cancer of the Esophagus Be Found Early?   Alcohol type linked to Barrett’s esophagus risk   Is increased Slug expression associated with the progression to esophageal cancer?   Married oesophageal cancer patients fare worse in some quality of life aspects than single patients   Can Cancer of the Esophagus Be Prevented?   A potential targets for the prevention or treatment of esophageal carcinoma   Barrett’s patients who smoke are twice as likely to develop esophageal cancer   Acid reflux may raise risk of cancer of larynx   How is cancer of the esophagus diagnosed?   Researchers use sugar to halt esophageal cancer in its tracks   What’s New in Esophageal Cancer Research and Treatment?   What Are the Key Statistics About Cancer of the Esophagus?   Esophageal Cancer Overview of Prevention   Gene Variations Alter Risk of Esophageal Cancer   Thriving After Cancer: Care Plans Help Map the Road to Wellness   Wine may cut risk of esophagus pre-cancer   UNC Researcher to Help Lead New Esophageal Cancer Network   What causes cancer of the esophagus?

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]