Drugs such as ibuprofen and asprin can cut the risk for oral cancer in smokers by half, new research has found.

The study analysed 20 years of data on the health of over 900 adults and found that long-term use of traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, appeared to reduce the risk of oral cancer.

However, use of these pain relievers (with the exception of aspirin) for six months or more also doubled users' risks for cardiovascular death, according to the collaborative research which was published by The Lancet.

The research team took a retrospective look at data collected prospectively from 1975 to 1995 on more than 123,000 adults participating in the Norwegian Health Survey. The survey tracked participant lifestyles, habits, and long-term health outcomes.

The team and lead researcher Dr Jon Sudbo, a senior consultant in the Department of Medical Oncology and Radiotherapy at the Norwegian Radium Hospital, narrowed their focus to 454 people with oral cancer and 454 others without such malignancies matched for age and sex. All of the individuals had a history of heavy smoking.

“Specifically, we were looking for associations between the long-term use of traditional, non-COX-2-specific NSAIDs and the risk of oral cancer, since previous work has suggested that these drugs can lower risks for other malignancies, such as colon cancer,” explained co-researcher Dr Scott M. Lippman, Ellen F. Knisely Distinguished Chair and Chairman of the Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (USA).

The researchers found that adults who were prescribed NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, indomethacin, piroxicam and ketoprofen for six months or more (most of them for much longer periods) were at a 53% lowered risk for oral malignancies compared with those who did not take the drugs over the long-term.

However, Dr Sudbø added that even though the drugs appeared to protect users from oral cancer, no added benefit overall in terms of prolongation of life or reduced mortality were seen. According to the study, long-term use of traditional NSAIDs, except for cardiovascular-dose aspirin, doubled users' risk for cardiovascular death.