Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and renal cell carcinoma: A case-control study

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer and accounts for about 85% of renal cancers. Current data suggest non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most promising chemoprevention method to for RCC. We examined the effects of NSAID use in association with RCC in 241 patients with primary cases of RCC and 205 frequency-matched controls by age (± 5 years), gender, ethnicity and county of residence in Texas. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odd ratio (OR) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CI) of ORs. Results showed that ever use of aspirin was associated with decreased risk of RCC (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.45 – 0.99). Ibuprofen use was associated with non-significantly decreased RCC risk (OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.48 – 1.11). A lack of association was observed with acetaminophen use (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.79 – 1.73) and celecoxib (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 0.74 – 3.19). Results from this study suggest that not all NSAIDs are alike in their effects on RCC risk, and that the individual NSAID type should be considered separately and not as a ‘class' of drugs. From a public health perspective, the findings from this study may provide important information for the chemoprevention of RCC. It is important to clarify the relationship between NSAIDs use and RCC risk because, if protective, this would be of great public health significance given the easy availability of NSAIDs, their common use and inexpensive cost. (246 words)