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Is anticoagulant warfarin associated with lower risk of cancer incidence?

Date:
November 6, 2017
Source:
The JAMA Network Journals
Summary:
The use of the blood thinner warfarin was associated with a lower risk of new cancers in people over 50.
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Warfarin is a widely used anticoagulant prescribed to as many as 10 percent of adults in Western countries. Studies disagree on whether warfarin is associated with cancer. Any association between warfarin and cancer would be important to identify given the availability of newer non-warfarin anticoagulants.This is the conclusion of new research by James B. Lorens, Ph.D., of the University of Bergen, Norway, and coauthors.

The study included about 1.25 million people born in Norway between 1924 and 1954 divided into those taking (92,942) and not taking warfarin (more than 1.1 million). Individuals taking warfarin for atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter were studied as a subgroup.

Prescriptions for warfarin between 2004 and 2012 (exposure); any new cancer and most common cancers (prostate, lung, breast, colon) between 2006 and 2012 (outcome).

This is an observational study using Norwegian national registry data. In observational studies, researchers observe exposures and outcomes for patients as they occur naturally in clinical care or real life. Because researchers are not intervening for purposes of the study they cannot control natural differences that could explain study findings so they cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Results show that warfarin use was associated with lower risk of any cancer and of three of the most common cancers (prostate, lung, female breast) compared to warfarin non-use. In the subgroup of people using warfarin for atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, cancer risk was lower at any site and in all four common sites (lung, prostate, breast, and colon).

Study limitations were outlined by the investigators:

  • Researchers did not collect information on other medications or risk factors that could influence cancer development.
  • New cancers may actually have been cancer recurrences.
  • Prescription of warfarin may be a marker for other health care factors that lead to cancer prevention.

In conclusion, warfarin appeared to be associated with reduced cancer risk in a national European population. The finding could have implications for choosing medications for patients who need anticoagulation but further studies to understand the mechanisms underlying any protective association are warranted.


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Materials provided by The JAMA Network Journals. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Gry S. Haaland, MD et al. Association of Warfarin Use With Lower Overall Cancer Incidence Among Patients Older Than 50 Years. JAMA Internal Medicine, November 2017 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.5512

Cite This Page:

The JAMA Network Journals. "Is anticoagulant warfarin associated with lower risk of cancer incidence?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 November 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171106112307.htm>.
The JAMA Network Journals. (2017, November 6). Is anticoagulant warfarin associated with lower risk of cancer incidence?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171106112307.htm
The JAMA Network Journals. "Is anticoagulant warfarin associated with lower risk of cancer incidence?." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171106112307.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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