Opium use: an emerging risk factor for cancer?

Lancet Oncol

Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Institute for Transitional Epidemiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.

Published: February 2014

An estimated 16·5 million people worldwide illicitly use opiates, of whom 4 million use raw opium. We did a systematic review to investigate the association between opium use and cancer incidence and mortality. Opium use was associated with an increased risk of cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, larynx, lung, and urinary bladder. Although the present evidence suggests that these associations are possibly causal, further epidemiological studies (particularly prospective studies that collect detailed data about lifetime opium use and control for a broad range of potential confounders) are needed.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(13)70550-3DOI Listing

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