RESEARCH: Medicines for heartburn and digestion can cause stomach cancer.
A new study found that long-term use of drugs for the reduction of gastric acid more than doubles the risk of developing stomach cancer
According to a report published in the Gut magazine, proton pump inhibitors (IPPs), commonly used to treat excess acid and other gastric problems, increase the risk of developing a deadly gastrointestinal tumor.
Proton pump inhibitors (IPPs) such as Prilosec, Prevacid and Protonix, which are either prescribed by a physician or can be purchased at a hospital, are aimed at destroying Helicobacter pylori, which is responsible for causing gastric ulcer, and are also a risk factor for getting stomach cancer. IPP in combination with these two antibiotics, are prescribed by doctors to destroy digestive bacteria.
However, researchers have noticed that patients who have destroyed digestive bacteria with IPP, and who still take the drug - can develop stomach cancer.
According to researchers from the University of Hong Kong and University College London, this may be due to the long-term use of PPI after the eradication of bacteria that cause cancer.
It is "the first study to show that the long-term use of PPI, even after successful treatment with Helicobacter pylori, is still associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer," the study said.
The study examined the medical records of 63,397 patients. Some of the participants in the study received only PPI and other different types of drugs, including histamine H2 receptor antagonists, that block histamine in histamine receptors in the stomach.
Five percent of participants (3271) took PPI an average of three years during the study, while 21,729 people took H2 blockers.
"The taking of IPP was associated with more than 100% increase in the risk of developing stomach cancer, taking H2 blockers was not associated with such an increase in risk," the study said.
In addition, the risk of developing cancer depends on how often participants take PPI.
"The use of IPP over a longer period of time causes a greater risk of developing stomach cancer, up to five times higher risk after more than a year, and up to six times after two or more years, and even up to eight times after three or more years taking, "says the study.
The study's authors concluded that doctors "must be careful when prescribing long-term PPI drugs."
- 3 Nov, 2017
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