‘Cancer risk’ in stomach tablets

INDIGESTION pills taken by millions of Britons significantly increase the risk of stomach cancer, a major study has found.

Scientists say people who regularly use proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) – common drugs used to treat acid reflux – are twice as likely to develop the cancer.

If people took the drugs long-term, the risk soared, rising five-fold after a year to more than eight-fold after three years.

The scientists, from University College London and the University of Hong Kong, suspect the pills stimulate a hormone called gastrin, which triggers the growth of cancerous cells.

More than five million bottles and packets of PPIs – which include omeprazole and lansoprazole – are prescribed each year in England to treat gastroesophageal reflux, a severe form of heartburn. Many more Britons buy them over the counter at pharmacies without a prescription, or in corner shops and supermarkets.

The drugs are not recommended for long-term use, but doctors fear that because they are so

‘Physicians should exercise caution’

readily available, people may take them without medical supervision for years.

Fears are growing about the health impacts of the drugs if taken for too long, with recent research linking sustained use to dementia, heart attacks and kidney problems. The new research, published in the BMJ journal Gut, involved 63,000 people in Hong Kong.

The researchers stressed that while the relative risks are dramatic, few people get stomach cancer so in absolute terms the threat is small. Out of the 63,397 people studied, only 153 (0.24 per cent) developed stomach cancer.

The researchers calculated that for every 10,000 people who take PPIs, roughly eight people a year will develop stomach cancer – four more than if none was taking the pills.

They wrote: ‘We found that long-term use of PPIs increased the risk of gastric cancer development. Physicians should exercise caution when prescribing long-term PPIs.’

But Professor Stephen Evans, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said people who take PPIs are more likely to be ill in the first place, adding: ‘The risk is small.’

The Proprietary Association of Great Britain, which represents manufacturers of over-the-counter medicine, said nobody should take PPIs for more than two weeks without speaking to a pharmacist.