The news is good for folks who use a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) as a way to control their chronic heartburn. There's no risk of cancer, based on the findings of a study on 90 British patients given high or low dosages of such drugs.

Concerns were linked to Barrett's Oesophagus (BE), a condition reported among some 10 percent of all patients who fail to treat their regular or prolonged bouts of heartburn which, in turn, can develop into oesophageal adenocarcinoma, a potentially fatal cancer. Additionally, BE narrows the size of the esophagus while contributing to pain when swallowing.

Over the course of the two-year study, there was no difference in the incidence of BE among patients who took PPIs of either dosage or any worsening of this condition. Also, no additional cases of cancer were reported, as well as any changes in the amount of precancerous cells discovered in either study group.

Two interesting factoids: Oesophageal adenocarcinoma harms more people in the UK than anywhere else in the world, and BE is half as common in America as it is in Great Britain.

Gut August 2, 2009

Physorg.com September 9, 2009