1. ¹Department of Genetics and Medical Treatment, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark
2. ²International Epidemiology Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
3. ³Pulmonary Unit, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
4. ⁴Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
5. ⁵Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA

Correspondence: Professor JH Olsen, E-mail: jorgen@cancer.dk

Received 10 August 2007; Revised 21 November 2007; Accepted 21 November 2007; Published online 18 December 2007.

Abstract

We investigated the risk of lung cancer in relation to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) among 573 cases and 857 sex- and age-matched controls for whom we had information on use of NSAIDs, from a prescription database covering all pharmacies in Denmark since 1995, and self-reported NSAID use, smoking habits and other potential confounders. Associations were expressed as odds ratios, assessed by logistic regression in unmatched analyses. After controlling for smoking habits, length of education and concomitant use of acetaminophen, we found a slightly decreased relative risk of 0.86 (95% confidence intervals, 0.65–1.14) for lung cancer associated with any use of NSAIDs. The risk decreased significantly (P=0.02) with increasing numbers of dispensed prescriptions per year during the 1–3 years before the index date with a relative risk of 0.49 (0.28–0.84) among those with four or more prescriptions per year during this period. Our findings suggest that regular use of NSAIDs is associated with a slightly or moderately reduced risk for lung cancer.