American scientists find that the increase in the use of opioids is correlated with an increase in cases of pancreatic cancer.
- Opioid abuse is a public health problem in the United States
- Consumption of these products is linked to an increase in cases of pancreatic cancer
For several years, the United States has been facing a health crisis, that of opioids. In 2017, the country recorded more than 70,000 overdose deaths, 68% of which were due to these opiate drugs. Prescribed to relieve pain, they can create serious addictions. Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago find that they also increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. They carried out a study on the subject, published on the specialized site PLOS One.
A correlation between opioid death and pancreatic cancer
The researchers started from a simple observation: cases of pancreatic cancer are on the rise in the country, as are prescriptions for opiate drugs. Previous studies have shown that these products can make certain cancers worse. To analyze the link between pancreatic cancer and opioids, the researchers used data from 1996 to 2016. According to their findings, there is a correlation between these two factors: increases in cancer cases are correlated with increase in opioid-related deaths. The increase in the latter has an impact on the cases of pancreatic cancer in the following years. The research team intends to continue its analyzes to understand how opioids act on the development of cancer and its evolution.
What are the numbers?
In 2017, more than 191 million opioid prescriptions were filled in the United States: of these, 29% led to patient misuse of these drugs and 12% resulted in drug-related disorders, including addiction. At the same time, 55,000 cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed each year in the country. In France, 9,000 people are affected.
A particularly aggressive cancer
For now, tobacco is the main risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Smoking triples the risk of getting it. Type 2 diabetes is also one of the possible causes of pancreatic cancer, like the overconsumption of fatty products. Generally, treatment is based on tumor removal, chemotherapy may also be recommended. As reminded Inserm, pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive. The five-year patient survival rate is less than 7%, in particular because of often late diagnosis, “at the metastatic stage of the disease in half of the cases“, specifies the Institute. This slowness of the diagnosis is explained in particular by the symptoms, which are not always present in the first stages of the disease.
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