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Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Several preclinical and observational studies have shown that bisphosphonates may have chemopreventive effects against Colorectal cancer. Dr Siddharth Singh from Minnesota,USA reported performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies evaluating the effect of bisphosphonates on the risk of colorectal cancer. The researchers conducted a systematic search of Medline, Embase, and Web of Science through 2012, and manually reviewed the literature. Studies were included if they met the following criteria evaluated and clearly defined exposure to bisphosphonates, reported colorectal cancer outcomes, and reported relative risks or odds ratio or provided sufficient data for their estimation.  | | Bisphosphonates use was associated with a 16% reduction in colorectal cancer incidence in women | | Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology |
The researchers analyzed data from 6 population-based observational studies reporting 20,001 cases of colorectal cancer in 392,106 patients. A meta-analysis of these studies showed a statistically significant 17% reduction in colorectal cancer incidence with bisphosphonate use, with borderline heterogeneity across studies. The doctors examined that this effect persisted after correcting for multiple covariates in individual studies. When the analysis was restricted to women only, use of bisphosphonates was associated with a 16% reduction in colorectal cancer incidence, which bordered on statistical significance. This chemopreventive effect of bisphosphonates was observed for proximal and distal colon cancers, as well as rectal cancer, independently. Dr Singh's team concludes, "Based on meta-analysis, bisphosphonate use is associated with a modest, but statistically significant, reduction in colorectal cancer risk."
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