Could Proton Pump Inhibitors Cause Cancer?

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Hi There frienRAB,

Say, I found that by pure coincidence on the net yesterday and it dates to october 2010. as anybody red this?


Vol. 170 No. 19, October 25, 2010
Could Proton Pump Inhibitors Cause Cancer?

Paul J. Rosch, MD

In addition to increased risk of osteoporotic fractures, Clostridium difficile, and other infections, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may have also contributed to the sharp rise in gastroesophageal malignant diseases seen over the past 2 decades. This is especially
true for esophageal adenocarcinoma, which was previously uncommon, and mirrors the increased use of these drugs. It has been suggested that with PPIs, pancreatic enzymes that would have previously been inactivated by hydrochloric acid are able to irritate
and cause dysplasia in esophageal tissue in patients with reflux disease. There is also evidence that gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may not develop from direct superficial injury but rather from stimulation of esophageal cytokines that attract inflammatory
cells to submucosal tissues. Indeed, patients with GERD usually show no evidence of mucosal damage on endoscopy. The earliest changes appear to be dilated intercellular spaces in the esophageal epithelium. In one . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Author Affiliations: Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, New York Medical College, Valhalla, and The American Institute of Stress, Yonkers, New York.



Now, That's too bad I could not find the rest, but, here we... well, I mean, I go again, freaking out on this question of: are PPI safe or not safe long-term, for christ sake?!
I mean, I am sooo tired from time to time to find some reports that says that its safe long term and after a while others that says that they are not! I think I understand the
explanation of the report here, but, dawm, seems like my anxiety disorder will never cease! :confused: I have been on Pariet for almost 8 years now and even if my latest scope
(from 4 months ago) apparently showed a normal stomach and eosophagous, when I read this:


...Indeed, patients with GERD usually show no evidence of mucosal damage on endoscopy. The earliest changes appear to be dilated intercellular spaces in the esophageal epithelium...


I am not so sure anymore, I mean, even a Gastroenterologist can miss something, right?

I am so sick of all this, you have no idea! or, maybe some of you do! so, I don't know for you guys, but I am seeking some encouragements after reading
this because frankly, it puts me down the drain... :dizzy:


Thanks for reading! :)
 
I understand your frustration and worry, I have been on very hight dosage of PPIs for 3 years then had the surgery but I am back on PPI becuase I am having some throat issues and just waiting for my matometry tets results.
All i can say is that they say if you don't take PPI you can get cancer, now they are saying if you do take PPI you could get cancer, but then there is a study which says that the chances of getting C even after nissen fundo is the same as being on PPIs, so to be honest with you, I am confused as what the options are? they all seem the same to me, I believe there are a lot of other factors which could contribute to development of C.
I like you am a real worrier and have been under a lot of stress over the past four years and to be honest do not see my situation getting any better.
I have real phobia of C and even if they start talking about it on news I change the chanel, I didn't use to be like this, until I started having all these symptoms, specially now that I am having throat issues.
So try if you can stop worrying about it, because they are people who have never had refux, or been on a PPI and have had gastro C, so pleae try to relax, because I don't really see an answer to this that can put our minRAB at 100% peace.
take care
 
I'm going to agree with Aryana70 on this one. In case you haven't noticed these days, everything causes cancer. If the PPI's help you with reflux and there really are no other options, then I'd stay on them and not worry about the cancer article. I mean I literally would not even worry about it.

As a side issue, the only thing I don't like about PPI's is that I am not sure if they really address the root cause of the reflux. It's like an area that has immense flooding because a nearby stream is clogged with sticks. To stop the flooding, engineers simply reroute the stream away from the area. Yeah that stopped the flooding, but what really needed done was the sticks needed cleared out. I don't have the answer here, but I would be looking at possible causes of the reflux rather than just how to get it to stop immediately.
 
It's also important to note that this particular article appears in the "Comments and Opinions" section of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The author is expressing an opinion and calling for additional research into this issue, but there isn't any evidence that his hypothesis is true.
 
Keep in mind, chronic H. Pylori infection and damage to the esophagus have both been proven to increase the risk of cancer. Generally, people who take PPI for years have chronic digestive problems, so, yes, we might be at higher risk than the general population.

Overall, cancers of the upper digestive track just aren't that terribly common, and, other than keeping our digestive problems under control, it's a risk we can't do much about. So why worry? It's like worrying about earthquakes.
 
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