Regular use of
ibuprofen may lower lung cancer risk among high-risk subgroups of
cigarette smokers
Via
MARKETWIRE
December 7, 2016
VIENNA, Austria –
Regular use of ibuprofen may lower the risk of lung cancer among those
with a history of cigarette smoking, according to research presented
at the IASLC 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Vienna,
Austria.
It has been established that
chronic inflammation appears to increase the risk of lung cancer, and
medicines that reduce inflammation have been shown to reduce this
risk. However, few prospective studies have examined associations
between lung cancer and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
To test whether a common
NSAID can reduce the risk of lung cancer, Dr. Marisa Bittoni and her
colleagues from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, examined
data from 10,735 participants in the Third National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES III.
Baseline data on smoking,
NSAIDs and other lifestyle variables were collected for 10,735
participants starting in 1988-1994, and cause-specific mortality
status was ascertained through probabilistic record matching using the
National Death Index through 2006. Cox proportional hazards regression
models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) to quantify
associations between NSAID use and lung cancer death, with adjustment
for current smoking and other variables.
Over 18 years of follow-up,
269 individuals died from lung cancer, of which 252 (93.6 percent)
reported a history of cigarette smoking. Since all but 17 of the 269
fatal lung cancer cases occurred among current or former smokers,
estimates of NSAID effects were ascertained from a sub-cohort of 5,882
individuals who reported a history of past or current cigarette
smoking.
Bittoni found that
prospective data from NHANES III showed that among adults with a
history of past or current smoking, ibuprofen intake was associated
with a substantial (48 percent) reduction in the risk of dying from
lung cancer. Effects of aspirin and acetaminophen were not
statistically significant.
"These results suggest that
regular use of certain NSAIDs may be beneficial for high-risk
subgroups of smokers as a lung cancer prevention strategy," Bittoni
said.
The IASLC 17th WCLC is the
world's largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic
malignancies, attracting more than 6,000 researchers, physicians, and
specialists from more than 100 countries. For more information on the
IASLC 17th WCLC, visit: http://wclc2016.iaslc.org/.