Archive for the ‘Hematologic Cancers’ Category

Long-Term Acetaminophen use almost doubles the incidence of blood cancers

Comments Off
Posted 21 May 2011 — by James Street
Category Carcinogens, Hematologic Cancers

By Anna Azvolinsky, PhD | May 18, 2011

In an article published online on May 9, 2011 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a large-scale prospective study found that acetaminophen use was associated with an almost two-fold increase risk of hematological malignancies other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) (DOI 10.1200/JCO.2011.34.6346). The study also found that neither aspirin(Drug information on aspirin) nor nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are useful for preventing hematological malignancies.
The study aimed to examine the association of over the counter analgesics or NSAIDS and the frequency of hematologic malignancies in a prospective and large patient group. Previous study results were not consistent for NSAIDs but did suggest an increased risk of disease with acetaminophen use.

Roland B. Walter and his colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington  analyzed a total of 64,839 men and women between the age of 50 and 76 years. These patients were recruited over a two-year span from 2000 to 2002 for the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race, education, smoking, arthritis, migraines, headaches, and family history of hematologic malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma, among others.

The results of the analysis showed an increased risk of hematologic malignancies incidence associated with high use (more than 4 days a week for more than 4 years) of acetaminophen (hazard ration = 1.84, P =0.004). The association was seen for myeloid neoplasms, non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, and plasma cell disorders. There was no association of high acetaminophen use with CLL/SLL.

The study did not find an association of hematologic malignancy risk with aspirin, ibuprofen(Drug information on ibuprofen), or nonaspirin NSAIDs.