NSAIDs may have role in preventing cancer of the esophagus

According to a group at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the USA, patients with the most aggressive form of Barrett's esophagus, a condition which can lead to the development of cancer, may benefit from preventative therapy with aspirin, ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The team also reported that it has identified a cluster of genetic abnormalities in people with Barrett's that significantly increase the risk of esophageal cancer.

The data, which were published in the most recent issue of the Public Library of Science's Medicine on-line journal, is derived from a long-term study conducted in a collaboration by researchers at the Hutchinson Center, the Virginia Madison Medical Center, the Wistar Institute and Havard Medical School, in a program funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The trial revealed that patients with three or more of the genetic biomarkers identified by the program who used NSAIDs had a 30% risk of cancer after 10 years, compared with a 79% risk of developing the disease in those who did not use such drugs. The study also found that Barrett's patients with none of the disease biomarkers had a 12% risk of developing esophageal cancer, whereas those with three or more had an 80% chance.