Bezafibrate and Colon Cancer Prevention
Author Information
Author(s): Tenenbaum Alexander, Boyko Valentina, Fisman Enrique Z, Goldenberg Ilan, Adler Yehuda, Feinberg Micha S, Motro Michael, Tanne David, Shemesh Joseph, Schwammenthal Ehud, Behar Solomon
Primary Institution: Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, affiliated with the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Hypothesis
Does the lipid-lowering peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors ligand bezafibrate prevent colon cancer in patients with coronary artery disease?
Conclusion
The use of bezafibrate as a lipid-modifying agent in patients with coronary artery disease appears to be associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.
Supporting Evidence
- Development of colon cancer was recorded in 25 patients: 8 from the bezafibrate group and 17 from the placebo group.
- The incidence of cancer was only detectable after a 4 year lag and progressively increased with continued follow-up.
- The colon cancer risk in patients who received bezafibrate tended to be lower with a hazard ratio of 0.47.
Takeaway
This study looked at whether a medicine called bezafibrate can help stop colon cancer in heart patients. It seems to help a little bit.
Methodology
The study involved 3011 patients from the randomized, double-blind Bezafibrate Infarction Prevention Study, comparing bezafibrate and placebo over a 6-year follow-up.
Potential Biases
Caution is needed in interpreting the findings due to the post-hoc nature of the analysis.
Limitations
The study was not designed to detect the effect on colon cancer, which is a low-incidence disease, and the findings are based on post-hoc analysis.
Participant Demographics
The study included men and women aged 45-74 years with a history of myocardial infarction or stable angina.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.07
Confidence Interval
0.2–1.1
Statistical Significance
p=0.07
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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