Opioids may be linked to the growth and spread of cancer, according to two Anesthesiology studies reported on ABC News.
In one study, breast cancer patients survived longer if they had a gene that made them resistant to opioids. Women with breast cancer who had one copy of the gene survived twice as long, and survival quadrupled for patients with two copies of the gene.
Researchers in another study on mice found that naturally occurring opioids could fuel the growth of human non-small cell lung cancer in human lung cancer cells. The study saw a two-fold increase in tumor growth and a 20-fold increase in metastasis.
Despite the findings, the author of the latter study cautioned that the data was not significant enough to cause patients and physicians to cease opioid prescriptions.
"There are no double-blind human studies showing that if you take an opioid, that you are more or less likely to have tumor progression," said Jonathan Moss, MD.
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In one study, breast cancer patients survived longer if they had a gene that made them resistant to opioids. Women with breast cancer who had one copy of the gene survived twice as long, and survival quadrupled for patients with two copies of the gene.
Researchers in another study on mice found that naturally occurring opioids could fuel the growth of human non-small cell lung cancer in human lung cancer cells. The study saw a two-fold increase in tumor growth and a 20-fold increase in metastasis.
Despite the findings, the author of the latter study cautioned that the data was not significant enough to cause patients and physicians to cease opioid prescriptions.
"There are no double-blind human studies showing that if you take an opioid, that you are more or less likely to have tumor progression," said Jonathan Moss, MD.
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