Legemiddel - pakningsvedlegg (legemiddelinformasjon) (mintankesmie.no)
The U.N.'s cancer research agency added hormone pills Friday to the list of substances that can cause cancer. (The Washington Post 30.7.2005)
Millioner kan få arveanlegg ødelagt (aftenposten.no 22.6.2007)
Benzodiazepine Use Possibly Increases Cancer Risk: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study in Taiwan
J Clin Psychiatry 2012;73(4):e555–e560
Objective: To evaluate the possible association between benzodiazepine use and subsequent cancer risk in Taiwan. (...)
Conclusions: This population-based study has shed light on a possible relationship between benzodiazepine use and increased cancer risk. Further large, thorough investigations are needed to confirm these findings. (...)
Evidence mounts for link between opioids and cancer growth
uchospitals.edu 21.3.2012
Opioid drugs used to relieve pain in postoperative and chronic cancer patients may stimulate the growth and spread of tumors, according to two studies and a commentary in the 2012 annual Journal Symposium issue of Anesthesiology, the academic journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
"Epidemiologic findings suggest that the type of anesthesia we do for cancer surgery influences recurrence rate, and laboratory studies demonstrate that opioids influence tumor progression and metastasis," said Jonathan Moss, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Chicago Medicine and co-author of the commentary, a summary of research on the topic. "These studies have caused anesthesiologists to re-evaluate how best to do anesthesia and pain control for cancer patients."
New studies provide new clues
Opioid-based painkillers, such as morphine, have been the gold standard for treatment of postoperative and chronic cancer pain for 200 years. Several studies published since 2002, however, suggest that opioids can stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells. Laboratory research from the University of Chicago Medicine and a genetic study from the University of North Carolina Medical Center both argue that the mu opioid receptor plays an important role in tumor progression and support a therapeutic role for opioid antagonists.
One study presented in the journal -- from a group led by Patrick Singleton, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine -- shows how opioids already present in the body can enhance the malignant tendencies of human lung cancer cells transplanted into mice, even without the addition of morphine. (...)
FDA adds new side effects to finasteride label
pharmatimes.com 12.4.2012 (Associated Press)
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday expanded the warning label on the drug finasteride, which is used to treat enlarged prostate and male pattern baldness, saying some men who took the drug continued to have sexual side effects after they stopped taking it.
Finasteride is the main ingredient in Merck & Co.'s prostate drug Proscar and its baldness treatment Propecia, and in generic equivalents. The drug has been linked to other sexual side effects, but the FDA said it was making further changes to the warning label because some side effects have been noted to continue after patients were no longer taking the drug.
The revised warning label for Propecia says some men who took the drug experienced libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that persisted after they were no longer taking it. The label for Proscar now includes decreased libido, and the labels for both drugs were amended to include a description of reported cases of male infertility and poor semen quality that got better or normalized after patients stopped taking the drug.
Proscar was approved in 1992 for symptoms of enlarged prostate, and it is used to reduce the risk of urinary retention or need for surgery in those patients. Propecia was approved in 1997 for treatment of male pattern hair loss.
Finasteride has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but in June 2011, the FDA updated the drug's warning label to say that finasteride may increase the risk of a more serious type of prostate cancer. (...)
Sleeping Pill Death Toll May Top 500,000 (Dødstall for sovepiller kan overstige 500 000)
medpagetoday.com 27.2.2012
(...) The use of hypnotic sleep aids was associated with a three- to five-fold higher mortality risk compared with the risk for nonusers, even when the prescription was for a small number of pills, investigators reported.
A prescription for 0.4 to 18 doses per year was associated with a mortality hazard ratio of 3.60 compared with patients who had no prescriptions for hypnotics.
The hazard jumped to 5.32 for patients prescribed more than 132 doses a year, investigators reported online in BMJ Open.
"Rough order-of-magnitude estimates ... suggest that in 2010, hypnotics may have been associated with 320,000 to 507,000 excess deaths in the U.S. alone," Daniel F. Kripke, MD, of the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif., and co-authors wrote. "From this nonrandomized study, we cannot be certain what portion of the mortality associated with hypnotics may have been attributable to these drugs, but the consistency of our estimates across a spectrum of health and disease suggests that the mortality effect of hypnotics was substantial."
Patients who used hypnotics most often also had an increased risk of cancer, with an overall cancer increase of 35% among those prescribed high doses.
(...)
(Anm: hypnotika; det samme som sovemidler. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
(Anm: BMJ Open2012;2:e000850 (27 February ).)
Diabetesmidler forbundet med bugspytkirtelkræft
dagenspharma.dk 7.2.2012
Langtidsbrug af det udbredte diabetesmiddel, metformin, ser ud til at mindske risikoen for bugspytkirtelkræft, men kun hos kvinder, og andre diabetesmidler, som insulin og sulfonylurinstoffer, kan have den modsatte effekt. Det er nogle af budskaberne i et befolkningsstudie offentliggjort i tidsskriftet The American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Tidligere studier har peget på, at metformin har en beskyttende effekt mod flere kræftformer, som bryst- lever og livmoderkræft.
Forskerne indhentede oplysninger fra den britiske lægejournal-database og sammenlignede lægemiddelforbrug, sygdomsdiagnoser, hospitalsindlæggelser og livsstilsvaner blandt knap 20.000 personer, hvoraf 2.800 havde fået diagnosticeret bugspytkirtelkræft i tiden mellem 1995 og 2009. (...)
Diabetes drugs tied to pancreatic cancer risk (Diabeteslegemidler knyttet til bukspyttkjertelkreft)
reuters.com 31.1.2012
(Reuters Health) - A new study links the diabetes drug metformin to fewer cases of pancreatic cancer -- at least in women -- but finds other diabetes medications are associated with a higher risk of the disease.
The differences in medication history among people who did or didn't get pancreatic cancer were small, researchers said, and it's unclear why the drugs might affect cancer risks in men and women differently.
Still, the new finding is in line with previous research suggesting that metformin may decrease the risk of multiple cancers, said Dr. Peter Butler, a diabetes researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, who wasn't involved in the new study.
"One theme that seems to be coming through... is that the oldest drug we have for diabetes, metformin, is undoubtedly the best drug we have for diabetes," he told Reuters Health. (...)
Craig Currie, who has studied diabetes drugs and cancer at the Cardiff University School of Medicine in the UK, said it makes sense that insulin and sulfonylureas would increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. Insulin promotes cancer growth, he said, and also acts directly on the pancreas.
The study's investigators "raise doubts about these treatments," he told Reuters Health in an email.
"There is a possibility that exogenous insulin (insulin that's not made naturally by the body) is of questionable safety in people with type 2 diabetes," added Currie, who didn't participate in the new research. (...)
Antyder sammenheng mellom p-piller og prostatakreft
dagensmedisin.no 14.11.2011
I en ny studie setter forskere en sammenheng mellom p-piller og prostatakreft. (...)
I den økologiske studien, som ble publisert tirsdag, brukte forskerne tall fra International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) og United Nations World Contraceptive Use report for å sammenstille data om forekomst av prostatakreft og dødsfall og antall kvinner som brukte de vanligste prevensjonsmetodene i 2007.
Deretter analyserte de data fra flere land og kontinent for å se om det var en sammenheng mellom bruken av p-piller, og død på grunn av prostatakreft. (...)
- Eksperimentell
Forskerne understreker at forskningen er eksperimentell, og gjort for å se mer på dette temaet. Ingen konklusjoner kan derfor trekkes enda, påpeker de, ifølge BMJOpen.
Forskerne mener å se at den utstrakte bruken av p-piller øker mengden stoffer som forstyrrer den endokrine balansen.
I drikkevannet
Disse stoffene nedbrytes ikke så lett, og kan dermed havne i urinen og ende opp i drikkevannet eller i matvarer slik at befolkningen blir eksponert, antyder forskerne. (...)
AACR-FCPR: Painkillers Tied to Kidney Cancer Risk (AACR-FCPR (American Association for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research): Smertestillende legemidler knyttet til økt risiko for nyrekreft)
medpagetoday.com 28.10.2011
BOSTON – Analgesic use increased the hazard for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) by as much as 33%, depending on the drug class, results of a large meta-analysis showed.
Use of acetaminophen or nonaspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) significantly increased the risk of RCC compared with nonuse. Aspirin use was not associated with an increased risk of the kidney cancer, as reported here at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting.
"The results are kind of surprising," Eunyoung Cho, ScD, of Harvard and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, told MedPage Today. "Aspirin and NSAIDs have been associated with a reduced risk of several types of cancer, but that does not appear to be the case with renal cell carcinoma." (...)
(Anm: Nyrekreft (nhi.no).)
(Anm: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID); Ikkesteroide antiinflammatoriske midler (no.wikipedia.org).)
(Anm: Paracetamol (eller acetaminophen) er et legemiddel, brukt smertestillende og febernedsettende. En bør vise litt forsiktighet ved bruken da store doser kan gi varige leverskader. Ved nedsatt leverfunksjon kan toleransen for paracetamol være nedsatt, og moderat til høyt alkoholforbruk kan gi økt fare for paracetamolforgiftning. (no.wikipedia.org).)
Ökad risk för äggstocks-cancer efter IVF-behandling
lakemedelsvarlden.se 27.10.2011
Kvinnor vars äggstockar har stimulerats under IVF-behandling löper dubbelt så hög risk att drabbas av olika äggstocksmaligniteter, inklusive cancer, senare i livet jämfört med kvinnor som inte genomgått IVF-behandling. Det visar en holländsk studie.
INFERTILITET I registerstudien inkluderades 19 146 kvinnor som fick IVF-behandling i Nederländerna mellan åren 1983 och 1995, och en jämförelsegrupp bestående av 6 006 subfertila kvinnor som inte behandlades med IVF.
Efter en uppföljningstid på i median 14,7 år, var risken för förstadier till ovarietumörer (borderline) nästan dubblerad i IVF-gruppen jämfört med den allmänna befolkningen. Borderline definieras i detta fall som onormala celler som kan utvecklas till cancer, men som oftast inte gör det.
Risken för invasiv ovariecancer var inte förhöjd, men ökade med längre uppföljning efter första IVF (P = 0,02), med en riskkvot om 3,54 efter 15 år. En kombination av borderline-tumörer och alla äggstocks-maligniteter var risken signifikant ökad i IVF-gruppen jämfört med den subfertila jämförelsegruppen, med en riskkvot om 4,23.
Totalt bland de drygt 25000 kvinnorna fann man 61 äggstocks-maligniteter, varav 31 var borderline-tumörer och 30 var invasiv cancer.
Författarna menar att även om ökningen sker från en låg nivå, bör resultaten undersökas mer. Den ökade risken bör också diskuteras med kvinnor som vill undergå IVF-behandling. (...)
Forskere bekymrede for bivirkninger ved Novo-medicin
business.dk 31.8.2011
En gruppe amerikanske forskere opfordrer til yderligere undersøgelser af bivirkningerne ved blandt andet Victoza efter en kontroversiel analyse af bivirkningsindberetninger i USA. Novo Nordisk har forsøgt at bremse artiklen, men uden held.
En analyse af amerikanske rapporter om bivirkninger ved den lægemiddelgruppe, som Novo Nordisks storsælgende Victoza tilhører, har skabt opstandelse i diabeteskredse både herhjemme og i det store udland.
Analysen, blev offentliggjort i form af en artikel i det anerkendte amerikanske tidsskrift Gastroenterology i juli i år, bygger på data fra den amerikanske lægemiddelmyndighed FDA’s officielle database over indberetninger af bivirkninger i perioden 2004 til 2009.
Konklusionen i artiklen er, at analysen ”antyder”, at der kan være alvorlige bivirkninger forbundet med de to undersøgte lægemidler, Byetta fra amerikanske Eli Lilly og Januvia fra amerikanske Merck. Den amerikanske forskergruppe, som står bag artiklen, har blandt andet fundet en øget rapportering af betændelse i bugspytkirtlen for patienter, der har taget de to lægemidler. Analysen rejser bekymring for en forhøjet risiko for kræft i bugspytkirtlen i forbindelse med de to lægemidler og for kræft i skjoldbruskkirtlen i forbindelse med Byetta. (...)
(Anm: Victoza (liraglutide; liraglutid) (en.wikipedia.org).)
Mulig økt risiko for blærekreft ved bruk av pioglitazon
legemiddelverket.no 8.8.2011
Bivirkningsrapporter og resultater fra studier kan tyde på en liten økning i risiko for blærekreft hos diabetespasienter som behandles med pioglitazon (Actos og Competact).
Det europeiske legemiddelkontoret vurderer nå om tilgjengelige data om risiko for blærekreft bør føre til endring i bruken av pioglitazon. Så snart endringer blir innført vil Legemiddelverket informere om dette.
Pioglitazon er ikke førstevalg ved behandling av diabetes type 2. Tall fra Reseptregisteret viser at 1811 pasienter brukte legemidler med pioglitazon i 2010. (...)
EMA warns about Actos, backs Champix, restricts Pandemrix
pharmatimes.com 22.7.2011
Europe's regulator has given its support to continued use of Takeda's diabetes pill Actos but has recommended new contraindications and warnings be added to the label regarding a "small increased risk of bladder cancer".
Last month, France and Germany suspended use of Actos (pioglitazone) and Competact (pioglitazone/metformin) following new data from a retrospective study which appears to indicate a slight increased risk of bladder cancer with pioglitazone-containing medicines. However, having completed its review which began in March, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) says medicines containing pioglitazone "remain a valid treatment option for certain patients with type 2 diabetes".
The agency acknowledged the small increased risk of bladder cancer in patients taking these medicines but concluded that it could be reduced "by appropriate patient selection and exclusion, including a requirement for periodic review of the efficacy and safety of the individual patient’s treatment". (...)
Oral Osteoporosis Drugs (bisphosphonates): Drug Safety Communication - Potential Increased Risk of Esophageal Cancer
fda.gov 21.7.2011
Includes: Fosamax (alendronate), Actonel (risedronate), Boniva (ibandronate), Atelvia (risedronate delayed release), Didronel (etidronate), and Skelid (tiludronate) (...)
ISSUE: FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients about its ongoing review of data from published studies to evaluate whether use of oral bisphosphonate drugs is associated with an increased risk of cancer of the esophagus. FDA has not concluded that taking an oral bisphosphonate drug increases the risk of esophageal cancer. There are insufficient data to recommend endoscopic screening of asymptomatic patients. FDA will continue to evaluate all available data supporting the safety and effectiveness of bisphosphonate drugs and will update the public when more information becomes available.
BACKGROUND: Oral bisphosphonates are commonly used for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis as well as to treat other bone diseases such as Paget's disease. There have been conflicting findings from studies evaluating the risk of esophageal cancer. Esophagitis and other esophageal events have been reported, particularly in patients who do not follow the specific directions for use of oral bisphosphonates. See the Data Summary in the Drug Safety Communication for additional details.
RECOMMENDATION: Patients should talk with their healthcare professional about the benefits and risks of taking oral bisphosphonates and how long they should expect to take them. Patients should talk with their healthcare professional if they develop swallowing difficulties, chest pain, new or worsening heartburn, or have trouble or pain when swallowing. Patients should be instructed to carefully follow the directions for use of the oral bisphosphonate drug they are prescribed. (...)
Prostatamidler kan øge risiko for kræft
dagensmedicin.dk 22.6.2011
En gruppe af lægemidler, som har til formål at behandle fortstørret prostata, kan øge risikoen for at udvikle alvorlig kræft i netop prostata, advarer de amerikanske lægemiddelmyndigheder, Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
FDA vurderer dog fortsat, at fordelene ved at bruge medicinen opvejer risikoen.
»Risiko synes at være lav, men sundhedspersonale bør være opmærksomme på disse sikkerhedsoplysninger, og vejer de kendte fordelene mod de potentielle risici, når de beslutter at indlede eller fortsætte behandling hos mænd‚« skriver FDA på sin hjemmeside.
Advarslen er baseret på resultater fra to store sikkerhedsstudier og omfatter lægemiddelgruppen 5-α-reduktasehæmmere, hvor de aktive stoffer er dutasterid eller finasterid.
Bland de lægemidler, som er omfattet af advarslen er bl.a. Avodart og Proscar samt Propecia, der er et middel godkendt til behandling af mandligt hårtab. (...)
FDA Warns of Bladder Cancer Risk With Actos (FDA advarer mot risiko for blærekreft for Actos)
medpagetoday.com 15.6.2011
Patients taking pioglitazone (Actos) for more than a year may have an increased risk of bladder cancer, according to an FDA interim review of an ongoing epidemiological study.
The warning comes just days after two European countries banned use of the drug. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has yet to release any guidance on use of Actos.
Five-year data show that although there's no overall increased risk of bladder cancer, patients with the longest exposure to and the highest cumulative dose of the drug were at greater risk, the agency said. (...)
(Anm: Blærekreft (nhi.no).)
FDA links some prostate drugs to cancer risk (FDA linker enkelte prostatalegemidler til risiko for kreft)
forbes.com 9.6.2011
The Food and Drug Administration says a group of prostate drugs that can reduce the risk of some forms of prostate cancer may increase the risk of a more serious form of the disease.
The FDA says it is updating the warning information on a group of drugs including GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Avodart and Merck & Co.'s Proscar, which are used to shrink the prostate and which are linked to a greater risk of high-grade prostate cancers.
The agency is basing its conclusions on a review of two studies in which about 27,000 men 50 and older used the drugs for several years.
The FDA says the risk of high-grade prostate cancers is small, but doctors should be aware of it.
The drugs are also known as dutasteride and finasteride, respectively. (...)
Possible Link Between SSRIs and Breast, Ovarian Cancer (Mulig link mellom SSRI-er og bryst- og eggstokkreft)
medscape.com 14.4.2011
But Expert Says Results Should Be Interpreted With Caution
April 14, 2011 — A meta-analysis of 61 studies that looked at the relationship between cancer and antidepressant use shows a "small but statistically significant" increase in the risk for breast and ovarian cancer in women who use selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
A meta-analysis has its limitations, but still I feel that these results tell us that we really need to study further the use of SSRIs in women and the link to cancer. It's a fascinating question that really begs an answer. (...)
The study also found that researchers with industry affiliations were significantly less likely than researchers without industry ties to conclude that antidepressants increase the risk for breast or ovarian cancer, Dr. Cosgrove noted.
"There was a statistically significant relationship between researchers' industry ties and conclusions regarding antidepressants and cancer, with a P value as per 2-sided Fisher's exact test equal to .0012," she said. (...)
Possible Link Between SSRIs and Breast, Ovarian Cancer (Mulig link mellom SSRI-er og bryst- og eggstokkreft)
medscape.com 14.4.2011
But Expert Says Results Should Be Interpreted With Caution
April 14, 2011 — A meta-analysis of 61 studies that looked at the relationship between cancer and antidepressant use shows a "small but statistically significant" increase in the risk for breast and ovarian cancer in women who use selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
A meta-analysis has its limitations, but still I feel that these results tell us that we really need to study further the use of SSRIs in women and the link to cancer. It's a fascinating question that really begs an answer. (...)
The study also found that researchers with industry affiliations were significantly less likely than researchers without industry ties to conclude that antidepressants increase the risk for breast or ovarian cancer, Dr. Cosgrove noted.
"There was a statistically significant relationship between researchers' industry ties and conclusions regarding antidepressants and cancer, with a P value as per 2-sided Fisher's exact test equal to .0012," she said. (...)
Antidepressants and Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk: A Review of the Literature and Researchers' Financial Associations with Industry (Antidepressiva og risiko for bryst- og eggstokkreft: En gjennomgang av litteratur og forskernes tilknytning til industrien)
PLoS ONE 6(4): e18210 (April 6)
Antidepressant (AD) use has been purported to increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, although both epidemiological and pre-clinical studies have reported mixed results [1]–[6]. Previous studies in a variety of biomedical fields have found that financial ties to drug companies are associated with favorable study conclusions [7].
We searched English-language articles in MEDLINE, PsychINFO, the Science Citations Index and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (through November 2010). A total of 61 articles that assessed the relationship between breast and ovarian cancer and AD use and articles that examined the effect of ADs on cell growth were included. Multi-modal screening techniques were used to investigate researchers' financial ties with industry. A random effects meta-analysis was used to pool the findings from the epidemiological literature. Thirty-three percent (20/61) of the studies reported a positive association between ADs and cancer. Sixty-seven percent (41/61) of the studies reported no association or antiproliferative effect. The pooled odds ratio for the association between AD use and breast/ovarian cancer in the epidemiologic studies was 1.11 (95% CI, 1.03–1.20). Researchers with industry affiliations were significantly less likely than researchers without those ties to conclude that ADs increase the risk of breast or ovarian cancer. (0/15 [0%] vs 20/46 [43.5%] (Fisher's Exact test P = 0.0012).
Both the pre-clinical and clinical data are mixed in terms of showing an association between AD use and breast and ovarian cancer. The possibility that ADs may exhibit a bi-phasic effect, whereby short-term use and/or low dose antidepressants may increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, warrants further investigation. Industry affiliations were significantly associated with negative conclusions regarding cancer risk. The findings have implications in light of the 2009 USPSTF guidelines for breast cancer screening and for the informed consent process. (...)
Questions raised about industry influence on anti-depressant studies (Stiller spørsmål ved industripåvirknining og antidepressiva)
southasiamail.com 30.4.2011
For more than two decades, researchers have been unable to settle an important question: Can anti-depressant medications stimulate the growth of breast and ovarian cancers?
Some studies pointed to a link, but others did not.
Now a re-examination of the available evidence has cast a new – and disturbing – light on the previous research. Many studies that seemed to absolve the drugs of blame were carried out by researchers with close ties to the pharmaceutical industry, according to a report published this week in the online journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) One.
“I think that’s an important piece of information,” said the lead author of the paper, Lisa Cosgrove of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University in Boston.
For the review, Dr. Cosgrove and colleagues amassed a total of 61 studies, which included both laboratory and epidemiological research.
They then conducted separate searches on the principal investigators for each of the studies, looking for drug-company connections. “It was a lot of legwork,” said Dr. Cosgrove, noting that, in the past, such ties were not always publicly reported.
A clear pattern emerged. “None of the researchers with industry affiliation reported a positive association” between antidepressants and the risk of cancer, she said.
There were more mixed findings among researchers free of corporate ties. “Approximately 43 per cent of researchers without industry affiliation reported a positive association.”
A closer examination of these studies – using meta-analysis, which pools the data – suggests the risk is real, but not very large. Women with a history of antidepressant use faced an 11-per-cent increased chance of developing breast and ovarian cancer, compared with those who had not taken these medications. In the case of breast cancer, that means taking antidepressants would raise an average woman's lifetime risk to 13.8 per cent from 12.5 per cent, Dr. Cosgrove said. (...)
ACE Inhibitors Seem to Raise Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence (ACE-hemmere synes å øke risiko for tilbakefall av brystkreft)
news.yahoo.com 21.4.2011
THURSDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Two commonly used blood pressure medications seem to have opposite effects on the chances of breast cancer recurring in women with a personal history of the disease.
Preliminary findings show that ACE inhibitors increased the risk of recurrence, which surprised even the researchers, who published their study online in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. (...)
Heart drug linked to higher breast cancer risk
reuters.com 22.3.2011
(Reuters Health) - Women taking the heart drug digoxin have an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study of more than 2 million Danes.
Digoxin, marketed as Lanoxin and Digitek, is used by people with heart failure or with abnormal heart beats. But it can also act like the female hormone estrogen in the body, leading researchers to wonder if it might up cancer risk the same way estrogen treatment does in older women.
About two percent of the women who took digoxin at any point during the new study eventually developed breast cancer.
Former users had the same risk as those who had never taken the drug, while those currently on it were about 40 percent more likely to get breast cancer. (...)
Vfend og risiko for hudkreft
legemiddelverket.no 7.10.2010
Det er sett noen få tilfeller av hudkreft ved langtidsbehandling med Vfend (vorikonazol). Ingen tilfeller er meldt i Norge.
Vfend brukes til behandling av progressive og potensielt livstruende infeksjoner. (...)
Cancer Reports Prompt FDA Safety Review of Diabetes Drug (Kreftrapporter gjør at FDA gjennomgår sikkerheten for diabeteslegemiddel)
medpagetoday.com 17.9.2010
WASHINGTON -- The FDA is initiating a safety review of pioglitazone (Actos) based on preliminary data showing a possible link between use of the drug and bladder cancer. (...)
Study: SSRIs May Increase Chance of Death for Breast Cancer Patients
lawyersandsettlements.com 13.9.2010
Dublin, Ireland: A recent study in the Irish Medical Times found a potentially serious SSRI side effect -- an increased risk of mortality among breast cancer patients.
The study looked at the medical records of female residents in Ontario, Canada who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1993 and 2005, and treated with tamoxifen, a drug typically used to treat breast cancer. (...)
Oral bisphosphonates and risk of cancer of oesophagus, stomach, and colorectum: case-control analysis within a UK primary care cohort
BMJ 2010; 341:c4444 (2 September)
(...) Conclusions The risk of oesophageal cancer increased with 10 or more prescriptions for oral bisphosphonates and with prescriptions over about a five year period. In Europe and North America, the incidence of oesophageal cancer at age 60-79 is typically 1 per 1000 population over five years, and this is estimated to increase to about 2 per 1000 with five years’ use of oral bisphosphonates. (...)
(Anm: bisphosphonates; bisfosfonater Hva er bisfosfonater? (...) Syv ulike bisfosfonater er for tiden (2009) godkjente i Norge. Det er etidronsyre (Didronate®), klodronsyre (Bonefos®), pamidronsyre (Pamidronatdinatrium Hospira®), alendronsyre (Alendronat®, Fosamax®), ibandronsyre (Bondronat®, Bonviva®), risedronsyre (Optinate®, Risedronat®), zoledronsyre (Aclasta®, Zometa®). (nmi.no).)
(Anm: oesophageal cancer; spiserørskreft/øsofagus cancer innebærer at man har en ondartet svulst i spiserøret. (kreftforeningen.no).)
Oral bisphosphonates and oesophageal cancer
BMJ 2010; 341:c4506 (2 September)
Evidence is inconclusive but cautious prescribing and active follow-up are advised
Oral bisphosphonates have been marketed for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis since the mid-1990s. In the linked nested case-control study (doi:10.1136/bmj.c4444), Green and colleagues find that the risk of oesophageal cancer increases with the number of prescriptions of oral bisphosphonates.1 Is the association likely to be true? And if so, what should clinicians tell their patients? (...)
Insulin og risiko for cancer
irf.dk 27.8.2010 (Institut for Rationel Farmakoterapi (IRF)
Tidligere undersøgelser har sandsynliggjort en mulig sammenhæng mellem behandling med insulin og en øget risiko for cancer i bl.a. lever, nyre, bryst og livmoder. Senest har insulin-analogen insulin glargin (Lantus) været under mistanke for at stimulere væksten af allerede eksisterede cancer (1). Man ved, at insulin kan stimulere udvikling af cancer i dyreforsøg.
Nu konkluderer en ny registerundersøgelse hos danske diabetikere diagnosticeret fra 1995, at insulin har hen ved 50% højere relativ risiko for cancer end baggrundsbefolkningen. (...)
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs): Ongoing Safety Review for Cancer Risk (Angiotensin reseptorblokkere (ARB-ere): Pågående sikkerhetsstudier gjennomgår kreftrisiko)
fda.gov 15.7.2010
AUDIENCE: Cardiology, Oncology, Family Practice
ISSUE: A recently published study - a meta-analysis combining cancer-related findings from several clinical trials - suggested use of ARBs may be associated with a small increased risk of cancer.
BACKGROUND: ARBs are used in patients with high blood pressure and other conditions. Brand names include Atacand, Avapro, Benicar, Cozaar, Diovan, Micardis, and Teveten.
The meta-analysis included data from over 1,000 patients in several long-term, randomized, controlled clinical trials evaluating ARBs for which adverse events related to cancer were captured during the study. The mean duration of follow-up ranged from 1.7 to 4.8 years. (...)
Avandia On Trial: Glaxo's Defense III
blogs.forbes.com 14.7.2010
In his roundup arguments, Glaxo SmithKline vice president Murray Stewart argued there is not a proven difference between Avandia and other diabetes drugs and that there is more long-term data showing Avandia's efficacy at lowering blood sugar and overall safety.
One blow in favor of the drug: he says that Actos, the competitor drug from Takeda, increases the risk of bladder cancer in lab animals, and that one long-term study of Actos showed a numerical increase in the number of cancers. That's not strong data, but it's the first supporting data I've heard of the idea that Actos may have risks we don't really known about. If Avandia gets yanked, then there's a problem with Actos, there will be no drugs from this class left on the market. (...)
Medisin brukt av tusener kan øke kreftrisikoen
vg.no 17.6.2010
(...) Medisinene det er snakk om er viktige for å senke blodtrykket hos pasienter, men en ny studie i The LancetOncology slår fast at de som bruker dem også har større sjanse for å få kreft enn andre.
- Det er overraskende og uventet og vil bli diskutert på europeisk nivå allerede kommende uke, sier avdelingsoverlege Steinar Madsen i Statens Legemiddelverk til VG Nett. (...)
Selv om tallet kun utgjør en liten, økt risiko for den enkelte pasient kan det få store ringvirkninger, ettersom det er en ekstremt vanlig medisin. (...)
Han presiserer at det er svært viktig at pasienter som bruker medisinene, såkalte angiotensinreseptorblokkere, ikke kutter dem ut. (...)
Blood pressure pills could raise cancer risk (Legemiddel mot høyt blodtrykk kan øke risiko for kreft)
forbes.com 13.6.2010
LONDON -- Some of the world's most popular blood pressure pills may slightly increase your risk of getting cancer, but doctors say it's too soon to ditch the drugs, according to new research.
In an analysis of five previous studies following about 60,000 patients, experts found a link between people taking medicines known as angiotensin-receptor blockers, or ARBs, and cancer. The drugs are taken by millions of people worldwide for conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetic kidney disease.
In the analysis, researchers found that people who took the drugs had about a 1 percent higher risk of getting cancer than people who weren't on the drugs. This included a whole range of cancers - prostate, breast and a noticable spike in lung cancer. (...)
"The risk for the individual patient is modest," said Sipahi, associate director of heart failure and transplantation at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "However, when you look at it from the population level, millions and millions of people are on these drugs and it can cause a lot of excess cancer worldwide." (...)
Common blood pressure drugs may raise cancer risk (Vanlig legemiddel mot høyt blodtrykk kan øke risiko for kreft)
reuters.com 13.6.2010
(Reuters) - A widely used class of blood pressure drugs may slightly increase the risk of cancer, U.S. researchers said on Sunday, and they are calling on U.S. regulators to take a closer look.
They said an analysis of available data on drugs in the class known as angiotensin-receptor blockers showed patients were 1.2 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a new cancer over four years than others who did not take the drugs. (...)
"The increased risk of new cancer occurrence is modest but significant," Dr. Ilke Sipahi and colleagues from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and colleagues wrote in the journal Lancet Oncology.
There were not enough data in the studies to say if individual drugs in the class raise the risk or if it is a so-called class effect shared by all such drugs.
Even so, Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a commentary the findings were "disturbing and provocative, raising crucial drug safety questions for practitioners and the regulatory community."
He said regulators need to look more closely at the risk of cancer with ARB use and that doctors should be more cautious about prescribing ARBs, and especially Micardis.(...)
FDA to Review Safety of Parkinson's Combo Pill (FDA gjennomgår sikkerhet for kombinasjonspille mot Parkinsons sykdom)
medpagetoday.com 31.3.2010
WASHINGTON -- The FDA has launched a review of clinical trial data that appear to link a polypill that combines three Parkinson's disease drugs with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Stalevo -- a combination of carbidopa, levodopa, and entacapone -- was compared with another combo pill (Sinemet), which contains carbidopa and levodopa, in the STRIDE-PD study (Stalevo Reduction in Dyskinesia Evaluation -- Parkinson's Disease).
In that trial, the prostate cancer rate was higher in the Stalevo arm than in the Sinemet arm. (...)
First Paxil Birth Defect Lawsuit is Set to Begin (Første søksmål om Seroxat-induserte fødselsdefekter starter)
chicagobirthinjurylawyerblog.com 15.9.2009
The first Paxil lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline over alleged birth defects caused by the antidepressant is scheduled for trial to begin today in Philadelphia. This is one of approximately 600 similar claims involving heart defects and other injuries suffered by babies born to woman who used Paxil. The birth injury lawsuit claims that the use of Paxil resulted in life-threatening heart defects in her three-year-old son. Paxil is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescribed to treat depression. It is one of the most common drugs prescribed in the United States. (...)
Humira (adalimumab) injection
fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch 15.12.2009
BOXED WARNING
Malignancy
Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with TNF blockers, of which HUMIRA is a member. (...)
FDA: Arthritis Drugs Pose Cancer Risk to Children (FDA: Artritt-legemidler utgjør kreftrisiko for barn)
online.wsj.com 5.8.2009
WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday there's an increased risk of lymphoma and other cancers associated with the use of drugs like Remicade and Humira for children and adolescents.
The agency said a new cancer-related warning will be added to the boxed-warning that's already on the drugs, which are known as tumor necrosis factor, or TNF blockers.
The drugs, which also include Enbrel, Cimzia and Simponi, are approved to treat various immune system diseases including juvenile idiopathic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn's disease and ankylosing spondylitis. (...)
Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Blockers (marketed as Remicade, Enbrel, Humira, Cimzia, and Simponi)
fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch (August 2009)
[Posted 08/04/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals that it has completed its analysis of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers and has concluded that there is an increased risk of lymphoma and other cancers associated with the use of these drugs in children and adolescents. This new safety information is now being added to the Boxed Warning for these products. (...)
Imuunosuppressants, mortality, and risk of cancer
Editorials
BMJ 2009;339:b1645 (3 July)
(...)
The retrospective cohort study by Kempen and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.b2480) forces us to take a hard look at two of the most pressing questions in drug treatment today.1 The first is what are the longer term risks of the increasingly powerful drugs we now prescribe routinely? The second relates to "pharmacoepistemology"—the question of "how we know what we know" about the risks and benefits of drugs.2
On the first topic, clinicians, patients, and policymakers must live with the fact that drugs are generally approved on the basis of tests that may last just a few weeks or months, even if the drug is designed to be taken for years. Once short term efficacy is shown—even if it is in comparison with placebo, or by the achievement of a surrogate outcome, such as a laboratory test—subsequent drug effects cannot be systematically tracked. A report by the US Institute of Medicine argued strongly that failure to track longer term outcomes constitutes a major gap in the regulatory process.3 (...)
Kreftmistanke mot insulinmedisin
vg.no 29.6.2009
- Bekymringsfullt, sier professor i hormosykdommer
(VG Nett) Nye undersøkelser gir mistanke om at diabetesmedisinen Lantus kan gi kreft. (...)
Undersøkelsene, som er offentliggjort i tidsskrift Diabetologia, gir mistanke om økt risiko for kreft hos pasienter som bruker Lantus, hvor virkestoffet er insulin glargin. Dette er et insulin som har lengre virketid enn vanlig insulin og gis bare en gang i døgnet. (...)
Professor i hormonsykdommer, Kåre Birkeland ved Oslo universitetssykehus, Aker, sier at forbindelsen mellom kreft og bruken av Lantus er bekymringsfull.
- Resultatene er bekymringsfulle, men ikke i den grad at jeg vil anbefale pasienter som har god effekt av Lantus å slutte med medisinen, sier han. (...)
Sanofi drug may increase cancer risk, studies find
reuters.com 27.6.2009
LONDON (Reuters) - Sanofi-Aventis's diabetes drug Lantus may increase the risk of cancer, according to European studies involving some 300,000 insulin-treated patients, prompting a call from experts for more research.
The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), which released details online of four studies from its journal Diabetologia, said they were "far from conclusive but they do indicate the need for further investigation of this issue." (...)
In the Swedish study, involving 114,841 insulin-treated patients, those on Lantus alone were almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 49,197-patient Scottish study also found patients on Lantus were more likely to have cancer, including breast cancer, although the difference did not reach statistical significance.
The UK study -- the smallest of the four, involving 10,067 patients -- found no link. (...)
Some Antidepressants May Increase Risk of Breast Cancer Return (Enkelte antidepressiva kan øke risikoen for at brystkreft kommer tilbake)
depression.about.com 2.6.2009
About half a million U.S. women take tamoxefin, a drug which cuts in half the chances of breast cancer recurrence. Of these, many also take antidepressants for hot flashes, due to the fact that hormone replacements are not considered wise after breast cancer. It has long been known that certain antidepressants affect the amount of tamoxefin's active form available in the bloodstream. What was not known, however, was whether these antidepressants could also affect a woman's risk of a cancer recurrence. A new study reported at a cancer conference in Florida on May 29, 2009 provided an answer to this question.
The study reported that using certain antidepressants - including Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft - can almost completely cancel out any cancer-preventing benefit from tamoxefin. (...)
(Anm: paroksetin (paroxetine); markesføres i Norge under handelsnavn som bl.a. Seroxat; Paxil i USA.)
Hormoner kan ge kvinnor ökad risk att dö i lungcancer
dagensmedicin.se 1.6.2009
Data från den omtalade WHI-studien visar att kvinnor som får hormonersättning får ökad risk att dö i lungcancer. (...)
Lymphoma among patients with atopic dermatitis and/or treated with topical immunosuppressants in the United Kingdom.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 May;123(5):1111-6, 116.e1-13. Epub 2009 Apr 10.
BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) has been associated with an increased risk of lymphoma. OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of lymphoma associated with AD and use of topical corticosteroids (TCS) or topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCI) in a database allowing medical record validation. (...)
RESULTS: In the study population of 3,500,194 individuals, we identified 2738 cases of lymphoma (1722 non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL], 466 Hodgkin disease, 550 indeterminate cases; overall, 188 had cutaneous involvement) and 10,949 matched controls. AD was associated with an increased lymphoma risk (odds ratio [OR], 1.83; 95% CI, 1.41-2.36). In patients with AD referred to a dermatologist, the OR further increased (OR, 3.72; 95% CI, 1.40-9.87). We did not find any cases of lymphoma in TCI users; however, the number of patients exposed to TCI was insufficient to study any possible association between lymphoma and these drugs. TCS use was associated with an increased lymphoma risk (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.33-1.61). The risk increase was dependent on TCS potency (OR for high-potency TCS, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.54-2.11). The increased risk involved both Hodgkin disease and NHL, especially NHL with skin involvement (OR for high-potency TCS, 26.24; 95% CI, 13.49-51.07). CONCLUSION: Our results show an association between lymphoma-especially skin lymphoma-and use of TCS. The risk increased with duration of exposure and potency of TCS. (...)
(Anm: lymphoma; lymfom; (oncolex.no).)
Kræftbekymring rammer Novo Nordisk
business.dk 6.4.2009
De amerikanske myndigheders dårlige modtagelse af Novo Nordisk nye diabeteshåb Victoza står til at ramme flere af virksomhedenss andre nye produkter, der nu også risikerer at miste en stor del af deres kommercielle potentiale. (...)
I øjeblikket arbejder Danmarks førende medicinalselskab nemlig med en variant af Victoza udelukkende rettet mod fedme samt et lovende diabetesmiddel, der er en videreudvikling af Victoza, som kun skal tages en gang om ugen.
Begge produkter har ifølge analytikerne milliardpotentiale, men de amerikanske sundhedsmyndigheder FDA’s ekspertkomites betænkeligheder i forhold til selve Victoza har nu barberet en stor del af de to produkters værdi.
Frygten for c-celle kræft i skjoldbruskkirtlen, som skabte bekymring for selve Victoza, vil nemlig også gøre sig gældende for de to af Bagsværd-virksomhedens andre store fremtidshåb, der ligesom Victoza tilhører den såkaldte GLP-1 klasse. (...)
Små gnavere sætter kæp i Novo-hjulet
business.dk 3.4.2009
Der er gået mus og rotter i Novo Nordisks store satsning, Victoza. Øget forekomst af den sjældne c-cellekræft i skjoldbrugskirtlen hos mus og rotter i de dyreforsøg, som Novo Nordisk har foretaget med Victoza, ser ud til at sætte grus i Novos ellers velsmurte maskineri. (...)
Risiko for kræft
Betænkelighederne går først og fremmest på, om langtidsbrug af Victoza kan føre til kræft i skjoldbrugskirtlen. Ved dyreforsøg med mus og rotter har Novo Nordisks forskere nemlig fundet en øget forekomst af blandt andet såkaldt c-celle skjoldbrugskirtelkræft hos rotter og mus af såvel han- som hunkøn. Mens det ikke er så usædvanligt at finde denne type celleforandringer hos rotter, er det meget sjældent hos mus. (...)
FDA panel split over Novo Nordisk's liraglutide, shares slide
pharmatimes.com 3.4.2009
Novo Nordisk shares are on the slide this morning after a US advisory panel expressed concerns about cancer risks linked to the Danish firm’s investigational diabetes drug liraglutide. (...)
Tumor Data May Block Approval for Diabetes Drug Liraglutide
medpagetoday.com 2.4.2009
SILVER SPRING, Md., April 2 -- An FDA advisory panel declined to recommend approval for the investigational diabetes drug liraglutide (Victoza), in light of animal studies linking the injection to thyroid cancer.
The Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 12-1 that the rodent data could apply to humans. It then split 6-6 (with one member abstaining) on the question of whether the cancer risk should preclude FDA approval. (...)
Menopause Drug Tied to Breast Cancer Recurrence
healthfinder.gov 17.2.2009
Dutch study of tibolone, also used for osteoporosis but not available in U.S., was stopped early due to increased risk.
(SOURCE: The Lancet Oncology, news release, Feb. 17, 2009)
TUESDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- A large study of tibolone, a drug used to treat menopausal symptoms and to prevent osteoporosis, was halted early after researchers found that the synthetic steroid significantly increased the risk of recurrent breast cancer among survivors of the disease.
Tibolone, brand name Livial, isn't available in the United States but is approved in 90 countries for easing menopausal symptoms and approved in 55 countries as an osteoporosis treatment. Many breast cancer patients use the drug to counteract the effects of early menopause caused by cancer treatments. (...)
This increased risk associated with tibolone was so serious that the study was halted six months early. The findings were released Tuesday by The Lancet Oncology. (...)
Undersøgelse: Hormoner fordobler brystkræft-risiko
berlingske.dk 15.12.2008
Brugen af hormoner i overgangsalderen fordobler risikoen for brystkræft, fastslår stor amerikansk undersøgelse endegyldigt efter års debat for og imod hormon-tilskud.
Kvinder, der i mere end fem år spiser hormonpiller for at lette generne i overgangsalderen, har dobbelt så stor risiko for at få brystkræft.
Det viser en ny stor amerikansk undersøgelse, som kaldes det mest ”dramatiske bevis” for faren ved de stadigt populære piller. (...)
Heart drug linked to breast cancer
reuters.com 12.12.2008
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Use of the heart drug digoxin appears to increase the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to the results of a study published in Breast Cancer Research.
Digoxin helps the heart pump stronger and is used to treat heart failure. The drug's name comes from the plant from which it is derived, Foxglove or Digitalis purpurea. (...)
Drugs and Cancer Risk
JAMA 2008;300(4):386
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning physicians about possible cancer-related risks associated with 2 types of products: becaplermin, a drug used to treat foot and leg ulcers in patients with diabetes, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers that are prescribed for children and adolescents with certain inflammatory disorders.
The FDA added a boxed warning to the label of becaplermin, a recombinant form of human growth factor, based on findings from a study of 1622 individuals exposed to the drug and 2800 unexposed patients. The study found a 5-fold increased risk of cancer-related death in those who used 3 or more tubes of the cream, although there was no difference in cancer incidence between the groups. (...)
Tricyclic Antidepressants May Increase the Incidence of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
professional.cancerconsultants.com (3.7.2008)
Researchers from Denmark reported that patients who are long-term takers of tricyclic antidepressant medications have a 53% increased incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).1 These data were also published in the July issue of Epidemiology.2 (...)
Meta-analysis says low LDL cholesterol may be associated with greater risk of cancer
BMJ 2007;335:177 (28 July)
Patients with low concentrations of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, lowered as a result of taking statins, are at significantly more risk of being diagnosed as having cancer compared with patients with higher concentrations of the cholesterol, according to a meta-analysis of 23 large studies of statins (Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2007;5:409-18). (...)
- For lavt kolesterol kan føre til kreft
vg.no 25.7.2007
(VG Nett) Ved å redusere kolesterolet i et forsøk for å redusere faren for hjertesykdommer kan du øke faren for kreft, tror forskere. (...)
Specialists debunk statin link to cancer (Spesialister linker statin til kreft)
pharmatimes.com 24.7.2007
Heart patients were last night told to keep taking their statin tablets despite the emergence of data from the US suggesting that the cholesterol-lowering tablets might slightly increase users’ risk of cancer.
The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology had set out to examine how statins damage liver and muscle tissue. (...)
Study links low cholesterol levels and cancer
today.reuters.com 24.7.2007
LONDON (Reuters) - The heart benefits of taking so-called statin drugs to reduce cholesterol might be offset by a slightly increased risk of cancer, although the evidence is by no means clear, U.S. scientists said on Tuesday.
A new pooled, or meta, analysis of past studies involving 41,000 patients on statins found one additional incident of cancer per 1,000 patients with low levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, compared to those with higher LDL.
The results will be published in the July 31 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (...)
DES linked to breast cancer
netdoctor.co.uk 7.8.2006
Women who were exposed to the anti-miscarriage drug DES while in the womb are significantly more likely to develop breast cancer in later life, according to a new US study. (...)
DES was frequently prescribed to mothers in the 1950s, 60s and 70s as a synthetic oestrogen designed to prevent miscarriages.
It was since discovered that exposure to it while in the womb caused a rare form of vaginal cancer as well as infertility and pregnancy complications in some cases. (...)
ADVARER:
Fedmemedisin kan gi kreft
tv2.no 11.4.2006
En amerikansk forbrukergruppe ber myndighetene om å trekke fedmemedisinen Xenical fra markedet.
Grunnen er at de mener medisinen kan gi kreft, og at dette er påvist i studier gjort med dyr, melder Reuters.
Studien den amerikanske forbrukergruppen refererer til er publisert i The journal Cancer Letters.
Medisinen produseres av selskapet Roche Holding og det amerikanske selskapet GlaxoSmithKline Plc. har fått grønt lys av den «American food and drug administration» til å selge medisinen uten resept, men bare dersom medisinen møter diverse hemmelige kriterier først. (...)
FDA to Require Warnings on 2 Eczema Drugs
cbsnews.com 21.1.2006
(AP) The labels on two prescription creams to treat eczema will have to bear "black box" warnings of possible cancer risks.
The Food and Drug Administration action Thursday follows an agency advisory committee recommendation last February that Elidel cream and Protopic ointment carry the label warnings.
The new labeling also will clarify that the two drugs are recommended for use only after other prescription topical medicines have been tried by patients, the FDA said. The agency is also issuing a guide updating patients of its concerns. (...)
Mycket antibiotika ökar cancerrisk
Svenska Dagbladet 20.10.2005
Risken att få lymfcancersjukdomen non-Hodgkins lymfom ökar något för dem som får mer en tio antibiotikabehandlingar i barndomen. Det tyder ny forskning på. (...)
Dokter Ellen T Chang och hennes kolleger vid Northern California Cancer Centre i Kalifornien har gjort studien och rapporterar om den i American Journal of Epidemiology. (...)
(Anm: Medication Use and Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. American Journal of Epidemiology 2005:162:965-974.)
P-piller øger risiko for brystkræft
Politiken 31.7.2005
P-piller øger ikke alene risikoen for leverkræft, men også for livmoderhalskræft og brystkræft, fastslår arbejdsgruppe under WHO. Derimod nedsætter de præventive piller risikoen for at blive ramt af kræft i selve livmoderen og i æggestokkene.
P-piller øger risikoen for visse kræfttyper, men nedsætter den til gengæld for andre.
Det er konklusionen fra en arbejdsgruppe nedsat af IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) under Verdenssundhedsorganisationen, WHO. (...)
Hormone Therapy Reclassified as Carcinogenic
The Washington Post 30.7.2005
U.N. Research Agency Determines Regimen Slightly Raises Risk of Cancer
LONDON, July 29 -- The United Nations cancer agency has concluded that hormone-replacement therapy, taken by millions of women around the world, causes cancer, but it said that does not mean women should automatically stop the treatment.
In a monograph published Friday, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared that, based on consistent evidence emerging from studies over the past few years, it has reclassified hormonal menopause therapy from "possibly carcinogenic to humans" to "carcinogenic to humans." (...)
U.N. adds hormone pills to cancer list
USATODAY 29.7.2005
LONDON (AP) — The U.N.'s cancer research agency added hormone pills Friday to the list of substances that can cause cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer said that based on consistent evidence from studies in recent years, it was reclassifying hormonal menopause therapy from "possibly carcinogenic" to "carcinogenic."
The declaration from the World Health Organization's cancer agency, which is widely regarded as the international authority on cancer-causing agents, comes after several recent high-profile studies linking combination hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, to breast cancer. (...)
Estrogen-like chemical ups cancer risk in mice
ABC 12.7.2005
- Exposure to the environmental estrogen 4-nonylphenol increases the risk of breast cancer in mice, a new study shows.
This research is another example demonstrating that estrogen-like chemicals in the environment "have the ability to cause cancer," Dr. William S. Baldwin from University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas told Reuters Health. "Whether they really do or not is unknown." The animals' exposure in this study was much higher than that encountered in the environment.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and environmental factors appear to cause many of these cases. Many of the environmental factors increase a woman's level of the female hormone estrogen, which is thought to be a major contributing factor to the disease.
In the Journal of Applied Toxicology, Baldwin and colleagues explain that 4-nonylphenol is released from cleaning agents, textiles, paper, plastic, personal care products and agricultural chemicals. (...)
Aspirin does not prevent cancer, and vitamin E does not prevent heart disease or cancer.
BMJ 2005;331:69 (9 July)
Low dose aspirin has no effect in preventing cancer, a long term study involving nearly 40 000 healthy women has found. It also shows that vitamin E does not reduce the risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease. (...)
(Anm: Acetylsalisylsyre (Acetylsalicylic Acid). Stoffet brukes mot smerter og feber og finnes under flere varemerkebeskyttede navn, blant annet Dispril, Aspirin og Globoid.(no.wikipedia.org).)
Erytromycin kan skade fosteret
Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen (6.7.2005)
Gravide bør ikke få erytromycin tidlig i svangerskapet. Ifølge en ny svensk studie kan antibiotikumet gi hjertemisdannelser hos fosteret. (...)
Aspirin vitamin E fail in cancer prevention
USA TODAY 5.7.2005
Neither low-dose aspirin nor vitamin E reduced overall cancer cases or deaths in a landmark study of nearly 40,000 women, scientists report today.
The much-anticipated findings, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, are from the Women's Health Study, the largest and longest trial to compare aspirin or vitamin E to a sugar pill, or placebo. They contradict some earlier, less rigorous studies.
For example, some previous studies suggested that aspirin protects against breast and colon cancer, but the Women's Health Study did not find that to be the case. It found only a "marginally statistically significant" reduction in lung cancer cases and deaths among aspirin users. And some suggested that vitamin E's antioxidant properties could reduce heart disease and cancer risk. (...)
Report of Ritalin Risks Prompts a Federal Study
The New York Times 1.7.2005
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 30 - Federal health officials said Thursday that they were looking into a suggestion by a small Texas study that Ritalin and other stimulant drugs given to children might increase their risk of cancer later in life. (...)
Antipsychotic drug linked to certain tumors
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 18.6.2005
Researchers at the Food and Drug Administration and Duke University found 64 reports of pituitary tumors in patients taking certain antipsychotic drugs. Forty-eight of those reports involved patients taking risperidone, marketed as Risperdal. (...)
Incidence of Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinomas in a Population Younger Than 40 Years.
JAMA. 2005;294:681-690
Conclusions This population-based study demonstrated an increase in the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer among young women and men residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota. There was a disproportionate increase in basal cell carcinoma in young women. This increase may lead to an exponential increase in the overall occurrence of nonmelanoma skin cancers over time as this population ages, which emphasizes the need to focus on skin cancer prevention in young adults. (...)
Even Among the Young, Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Is Rising
medpagetoday.com 9.8.2005
ROCHESTER, Minn., Aug. 9 - Non-melanoma skin cancer - increasing among the elderly - is also on the rise in men and women younger than 40, Mayo Clinic researchers have found.
The finding, derived from a retrospective review, raises fears of "an exponential increase ... as this population ages," said Leslie J. Christenson, M.D., and re-emphasizes the need to focus on cancer prevention among young adults.
The rise in basal-cell carcinoma was driven by a disproportionate increase among women, Dr. Christenson and colleagues reported in the Aug. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The rate among men did not go up significantly.
Squamous-cell carcinoma rose by similar - and statistically significant -- amounts in both sexes. (...)
The increased incidence with age is thought to be linked to cumulative sun exposure and damage over time.
However, the study shows an increasing incidence over time even in a young population, in which it is not associated with cumulative sun exposure, the researchers noted.
One possible explanation for the increased incidence over time, Dr. Christenson and colleagues said, is more public awareness of cancer and better surveillance. But if that were true, it would be expected that tumor size at diagnosis would also decline over time - a trend that was not seen.
The researchers also proposed a possible explanation for the difference in basal cell carcinoma between men and women. Perhaps, they said, women just find their cancers earlier.
"Women are assumed to pay closer attention to their appearance and the health of the skin and, thus, seek medical attention sooner than men do," the researchers suggested. (...)
Single Dose of Crystal Meth May Cause Birth Defects
medpagetoday.com 28.7.2005
TORONTO-Even a single use of the potent stimulant methamphetamine while a women is pregnant may be enough to cause neurological damage to her baby, say University of Toronto researchers on the basis of studies with mice. (...)
Millioner kan få arveanlegg ødelagt
OLAV ALBERT CHRISTOPHERSEN (statsstipendiat)
aftenposten.no 22.6.2007
I en artikkel i Aftenposten med tittelen "Millioner i Afrika kan reddes" nevner Michel Camdessus og Gro Harlem Brundtland blant annet at Verdensfondet for bekjempelse av AIDS, tuberkulose og malaria i løpet av tre år har satt 1,6 millioner mennesker på AIDS-behandling.
Dette er ikke så ubetinget gode nyheter som artikkelforfatterne selv later til å tro at det er. Problemet er at selv om de aktuelle medikamentene kan hjelpe til å forlenge livet og bedre livskvaliteten hos mennesker som er AIDS-pasienter i dag, kan mange av dem også skade arveanleggene til de generasjoner som kommer etter oss. De er nemlig kraftig mutagene! Blant annet gjelder dette samtlige såkalte nukleosid-analog revers transkriptase-hemmere. Og minst ett stoff i denne gruppen pleier å inngå i samtlige av de medikamentkombinasjoner som blir vanlig brukt til AIDS-behandling i dag. Et viktig etisk dilemma blir derfor hvilket hensyn som bør veie tyngst, enten hensynet til dem som er pasienter og som lider av en dødelig sykdom i dag, eller hensynet til helsetilstanden i utallige generasjoner etter oss. (...)
Websidene er designet og tilrettelagt av Hein Tore Tønnesen © 2009