Anti-inflammatories cut risk of mouth cancer
By Nathan Seppa
From Anaheim, Calif., at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research
Taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs can cut a smoker’s likelihood of developing mouth cancer, a study from Norway suggests. Smoking is a known risk factor for developing this malignancy.
Researchers tracked the health of smokers who entered a national study between 1975 and 1995. The scientists identified 454 people who developed mouth cancer since enrolling in the study and compared their habits with those of 454 smokers who matched them in gender and age but who didn’t have mouth cancer. Most people in both groups smoked hand-rolled had nonfilter cigarettes at a rate of a pack a day for at least 15 years.