Painkillers Curb Colon Cancer in Blacks And Whites

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regular use of the type of painkillers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- such as ibuprofen or naproxen, for example -- halves the risk of colon cancer in African Americans as well as in whites, according to a new report.

Previous studies have suggested an advantage from using NSAIDs, the researchers point out, but most studies have included insufficient numbers of African Americans to determine whether they also benefit from NSAID use.

Dr. Leah B. Sansbury from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues conducted a population-based study of 731 blacks and 960 whites to examine whether the protective effect of NSAIDs associated with colon cancer risk is comparable for the two groups.

Overall, the use of NSAIDs was associated with a 51 percent reduction in the risk for colon cancer, the team reports in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The benefit was slightly higher for blacks, and greater for regular users of NSAIDs than for occasional users.

Women were more likely to benefit than men were, the researchers note.

"These results," the authors conclude, "suggest that public health recommendations for colon cancer chemoprevention by NSAIDs may be equally appropriate for both racial groups."

However, they add that because these agents are associated with an increased risk for gastrointestinal bleeding and other side effects, such recommendations "must balance the risks and benefits of NSAID use."

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, September 15, 2005.