A study reported at the American Association for Cancer Research conference in Anaheim, CA, reported that smokers participating in a clinical trial study researching the effectiveness of over-the-counter NSAIDs such as Advil and Motrin (ibuprofen) and Aleve (ketoprofen) in preventing oral cancer actually had twice the risk of dying of a heart attack, stroke, or other heart-related problem. The study found that while such drugs may have cut the risk of developing oral cancer in half, the deaths that may have been prevented by the drugs were offset by the increased risk of dying from cardiovascular incidents while taking such drugs over long periods of time.

Researchers from the Norwegian Radium Hospital in Oslo said their study supports the recent decision by the US Food and Drug Administration to warn all patients about the long-term use of all over-the-counter painkillers except aspirin. Patients in the study were considered at high risk for oral cancer because of their smoking habits. Over a 20- year span of observing more than 3,000 people, 454 of them developed oral cancer. These 454 were compared with 454 people who did not develop the disease. Of this total of 908 patients, 277 had used NSAIDs daily for at least six months, 42 of whom died from cardiovascular-related events.

Risk was highest among users of ibuprofen, found in the over-the-counter brands Advil and Motrin. Ibuprofen users were nearly three times more likely to die of cardiovascular events.

Source: Marilyn Marchione, “Study Raises More Questions on Painkillers,” Associated Press, April 18, 2005.