Posted on 08/17/2023 12:42:28 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Patients with pancreatic cancer who took the benzodiazepine lorazepam (Ativan), commonly prescribed to treat anxiety during cancer treatment, had a shorter progression-free survival than patients who did not, according to results published.
In contrast, patients who took the benzodiazepine alprazolam (Xanax) had a significantly longer progression-free survival than patients who did not.
The researchers examined the relationship between benzodiazepine use and survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. When adjusted, any benzodiazepine use was associated with a 30% lower risk of pancreatic cancer-related death.
However, when Feigin and colleagues studied the relationship between individual benzodiazepines and pancreatic cancer outcomes, they found stark differences. Apart from short-acting benzodiazepines used as part of surgical anesthesia, the two most commonly used benzodiazepines were lorazepam (40 patients) and alprazolam (27 patients). Patients who took alprazolam had a 62% lower risk of disease progression or death compared with those who did not take alprazolam (42 patients). Conversely, patients taking lorazepam had a 3.83-fold higher risk of disease progression or death than patients who did not take lorazepam (29 patients).
When the researchers investigated the associations between lorazepam and alprazolam use and patient outcomes in other cancer types, they found that alprazolam was rarely associated with significantly different outcomes. However, lorazepam use correlated with significantly worse overall survival in prostate, ovarian, head and neck, uterine, colon, and breast cancer, as well as melanoma, with effects ranging from a 25% increased risk to a 116% increased risk.
"We think the mechanism comes down to a difference in structure between different benzodiazepines," Feigin said. "Alprazolam has the opposite effect as lorazepam; it has no impact on GPR68, but it potently decreases IL-6, and we think this decreases the inflammatory potential of these tumors."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
“worse outcome” with pancreatic cancer seems like a relative thing. The odds are not in your favor no matter how you slice it.
The medicines appear to cost the same, about $13 a prescription for generics, via GoodRX discounts.
They do cover other cancers briefly in the write up.
I would want some lorazepam too
If you’re dying what difference does it matter what chills out anxious folks
Give them heroin if it works
Ativan is a fairly week benzo
People demonize meds like neocons demonize China and Russia
Always something existential
Which is silly with pancreatic cancer
It sounds like it would make sense. The anti-anxiety meds like xanax really change the way your body reacts.
My wife is 4 years out from her diagnosis with PC.
Quite honestly, I am pretty sure she would be dead today if not for the lorazepam, LOL.
The factors for survival from PC are surgery, clean margins, no lymph nodes, chemo, and a low CA 19-9.
If you don’t have those things…your chances are pretty grim. I don’t think most of those folks are worried about how they deal with the anxiety.
“commonly prescribed to treat anxiety during cancer treatment”
Ain’t that an anti-psychotic?!?
I suppose you’re not very anxious if you are reduced to drooling on yourself in a stupor, but it might be a bit of overkill.
Interesting! My pancreas is shot, hereditary, pre cancerous. My BP meds are really bad for the pancreas.
Agreed!!
OMG, this is data-dredging drek.
Thanks for posting all of these medical articles. I don’t read them all but when I do they are very interesting.
I hope your wife continues to do well. My father died of PC a long time ago. Treatments are better these days.
I would stay away from xanex. period
No one will ever get another benzo between my lips.
I will kill you dead if you try.
This is a quote from a paper in J Cancer. 2017; 8(16): 3343–3355.The title is:
The Prognostic Value of Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptor in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
The paper found that esophageal squamous cell carcinoma likewise (with breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers) expresses a protein similar to a benzodiazepine receptor, and all these cancers are promoted or activated by benzodiazepine molecules.
I believe that people with these cancers will still receive and use benzodiazepines for anxiety or as a part of anesthetics.
The greater significance is that these receptors can be used to make sensitive detection assays for metastasis and for progression of disease in these cancers.
Or, maybe, a different and novel route for chemo- or immunotherapy of these cancers can come from these findings.
Even in the four years, the treatment has changed. It nice to see it getting some attention.
True. Pancreatic cancer is almost always a death sentence.
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