Newsletter
PROVIDENCE, R.I., USA: New research from the U.S. has suggested that gastric reflux, which causes frequent heartburn, is associated with throat cancer and cancer of the vocal cords. In addition, the study of almost 1,900 individuals found that antacid substances could reduce the risk of developing these cancers.
The study, which was conducted at the Brown University, included 468 throat cancer patients, 163 vocal cord cancer patients and 1,234 healthy controls. All participants provided information about their history of heartburn, smoking and drinking habits, and their family history of cancer.
Among others, the researchers found that participants with frequent heartburn who were neither heavy smokers nor heavy drinkers had a 78 percent increased risk of laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Moreover, taking antacids had a protective effect among those reporting frequent heartburn. According to the researchers, those participants had a 41 percent reduced risk of cancer of the throat and vocal cord.
The findings indicate that gastric reflux is an independent risk factor for cancer of the pharynx and larynx, which may have important implications for identification of high-risk patients, the researchers said. However, further studies are needed to clarify the chemopreventive effect of antacid.
The study, titled "Gastric Reflux is an Independent Risk Factor for Laryngopharyngeal Carcinoma," was published online on May 23 in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention journal, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research.
