Popular osteoporosis drugs may increase the risk of esophageal cancer. No doubt you’ve seen commercials on television for drugs like Fosamax, Actonel and Reclast. Sally Field makes Boniva seem very appealing, with her wholesome persona and friendly dog.
But British researchers have discovered a problem. They matched people with esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer and stomach cancer to five healthy controls each. Around 80,000 people over 40 years old were included in the analysis. Long-term use of oral osteoporosis drugs was associated with approximately double the risk of esophageal cancer. There was no association with stomach or colorectal cancer. This research is especially compelling because the longer people were exposed to these bisphosphonate drugs, the greater their risk of esophageal cancer became.
Esophageal cancer is relatively rare, about 1 in 1,000 people, so even doubled, the risk is fairly low. Nevertheless, the investigators recommend that patients discuss the benefits and the risks of these drugs with their health care providers.
