Proton Pump Inhibitors Linked to Gastric Cancer
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a type of medication used to reduce gastric acid, have been linked to gastric cancer in a new study by Ka Shing Cheung and colleagues. A 2017 article in Gut, the journal of the British Society of Gastroenterology, reports that receiving PPIs to treat stomach infections from the bacterium Helicobacter pylori increases the risk of later gastric cancer.
The study relied on a territory-wide health database in Hong Kong. Out of 63,397 subjects, 153 developed gastric cancer after being treated for Helicobacter pylori. PPI treatment was associated with a 2.4-fold increase in risk of gastric cancer, while treatment with histamine-2 receptor agonist drugs did not increase cancer risk.
Editor’s Note: PPIs are widely used in psychiatric patients. Care should be taken with their long-term use.
