Opium use: an emerging risk factor for cancer?
An estimated 16·5 million people worldwide illicitly use opiates, of whom 4 million use raw opium. We did a systematic review to investigate the association between opium use and cancer incidence and mortality. Opium use was associated with an increased risk of cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, larynx, lung, and urinary bladder. Although the present evidence suggests that these associations are possibly causal, further epidemiological studies (particularly prospective studies that collect detailed data about lifetime opium use and control for a broad range of potential confounders) are needed.
Department of Public Health Analysis, School of Community Health and Policy, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: farin.kamangar@morgan.edu.
Farin
F
Kamangar
Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ramin
R
Shakeri
Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Reza
R
Malekzadeh
Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Institute for Transitional Epidemiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Farhad
F
Islami
D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D009892:Opium; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
D009892:Opium