Regular paracetamol may reduce ovarian cancer risk, but further studies are needed
Regular paracetamol use is associated with a 30 per cent reduction in risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to the authors of a meta-analysis published in the British
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2006;62:113). However, they warn that the association cannot yet be regarded as one that should prompt a public health recommendation.
Stefanos Bonovas, from the University of Athens, and colleagues analysed
eight studies published between 1998 and 2004 and involving 746,000 women,
4,405 of whom had ovarian cancer.
Statistical analysis revealed an inverse relationship between paracetamol
use and ovarian cancer risk (relative risk 0.84, 95 per cent confidence
interval 0.70–1.00). Regular use, defined as the highest frequency
of drug use reported in the individual studies, reduced the risk of developing
ovarian cancer compared with non-use (RR 0.70, CI 0.51–0.95). Irregular
use was not associated with a reduction in risk.
The researchers say that the risks of long-term use of paracetamol, ie,
liver and chronic renal failure, may outweigh the potential benefits
in preventing ovarian cancer in populations at low risk. They suggest
that a randomised controlled trial of paracetamol might be appropriate
in high-risk populations. However, they question whether epidemiological
evidence provides a firm basis for this, especially when it comes from
sparse and heterogeneous trials.
“Laboratory investigations should be conducted to define further
the biological mechanism by which paracetamol may influence risk,” they
conclude. |
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