NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Aug 22 - A new study adds to evidence that bisphosphonates may play a role in suppressing cancer development, although there is still no firm proof.
Bisphosphonates have generated both good and bad headlines recently. Some work has linked them to fewer cases of cancer, while other research has found an increased risk of atypical thigh fractures and jaw osteonecrosis among women taking the drugs for osteoporosis.
In the new study, researchers found that women on Actonel (risedronate) were only half as likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer as those who'd gotten just one prescription for the drug or none at all.
"At this point, I think people who are already taking the drug can be reassured," Dr. Harminder Singh, who worked on the study, told Reuters Health.
But he added that it's too soon to think about taking Actonel to prevent cancer.
"For people to start taking it, there are a few other things that need to be worked out -- the cost and the side effects," said Dr. Singh, of the University of Manitoba in Canada.
An Israeli study published earlier this year found a link between bisphosphonates and a lower risk of colon cancer among women, but it wasn't clear how to explain that result. It could be that the drugs have protective effects, or it could be that women taking them are healthier overall.
In contrast to the Israeli work, Dr. Singh's study, which appeared online August 5th in Cancer, adjusted for how often people see their doctors -- one factor that might muddy any differences between those who take bisphosphonates and those who don't.
The research team used data from a cancer registry in Manitoba to compare roughly 5,400 colon cancer patients to roughly 25,400 age- and gender-matched controls.
The Actonel finding came from the 2,493 women in the colon cancer group and the nearly 25,000 women in the control group. About 1.1% of female controls were taking Actonel, vs 0.6% of the women with colon cancer.
One way to interpret those findings is to chalk the difference up to a protective effect of Actonel. Indeed, women taking it had 45% lower odds of having colon cancer.
But with an observational study, you can't ever be certain why some fare better than others, Dr. Singh cautions.
What's more, the researchers didn't have enough data to see if the findings would hold up for men, and they didn't find any reliable effects for any other bisphosphonates.
Even if Actonel did afford some protection against tumors, it's not cheap (a month's supply generally costs more than $100) and its long-term side effects are not well known. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing evidence suggesting bone drugs might raise the risk of esophageal cancer.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/nv7Sj8
Cancer 2011.
Bisphosphonates have generated both good and bad headlines recently. Some work has linked them to fewer cases of cancer, while other research has found an increased risk of atypical thigh fractures and jaw osteonecrosis among women taking the drugs for osteoporosis.
In the new study, researchers found that women on Actonel (risedronate) were only half as likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer as those who'd gotten just one prescription for the drug or none at all.
"At this point, I think people who are already taking the drug can be reassured," Dr. Harminder Singh, who worked on the study, told Reuters Health.
But he added that it's too soon to think about taking Actonel to prevent cancer.
"For people to start taking it, there are a few other things that need to be worked out -- the cost and the side effects," said Dr. Singh, of the University of Manitoba in Canada.
An Israeli study published earlier this year found a link between bisphosphonates and a lower risk of colon cancer among women, but it wasn't clear how to explain that result. It could be that the drugs have protective effects, or it could be that women taking them are healthier overall.
In contrast to the Israeli work, Dr. Singh's study, which appeared online August 5th in Cancer, adjusted for how often people see their doctors -- one factor that might muddy any differences between those who take bisphosphonates and those who don't.
The research team used data from a cancer registry in Manitoba to compare roughly 5,400 colon cancer patients to roughly 25,400 age- and gender-matched controls.
The Actonel finding came from the 2,493 women in the colon cancer group and the nearly 25,000 women in the control group. About 1.1% of female controls were taking Actonel, vs 0.6% of the women with colon cancer.
One way to interpret those findings is to chalk the difference up to a protective effect of Actonel. Indeed, women taking it had 45% lower odds of having colon cancer.
But with an observational study, you can't ever be certain why some fare better than others, Dr. Singh cautions.
What's more, the researchers didn't have enough data to see if the findings would hold up for men, and they didn't find any reliable effects for any other bisphosphonates.
Even if Actonel did afford some protection against tumors, it's not cheap (a month's supply generally costs more than $100) and its long-term side effects are not well known. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing evidence suggesting bone drugs might raise the risk of esophageal cancer.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/nv7Sj8
Cancer 2011.
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