<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Common medications taken by millions of Australians have been linked to adverse outcomes for </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/cancer" rel="" target="_blank" title="breast cancer"><span>breast cancer</span></a><span> patients, a new study has found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The study revealed a complex relationship between commonly prescribed medications and cancer outcomes but is not advocating anyone should stop taking medications without medical advice.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Researchers from the University of South Australia and Flinders University set out to investigate how everyday items such as blood pressure pills, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and heartburn medication, may interact with cancer therapies.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-government-shutdown-forces-flight-cuts/a3136e68-88bf-44da-b9a5-48aaee31eaa3" target="_blank"><strong><span>Travel chaos looming as thousands of US flights to be scrapped</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They found that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) used to treat indigestion and heartburn were associated with poorer overall survival for breast cancer patients, and a 36 per cent higher risk of severe, treatment-associated side effects.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Researchers believe PPIs could interfere with the body's immune responses, or change how the body reacts to cancer drugs, though they note further investigation is needed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The study, published in Cancer Medicine, also found that drugs commonly prescribed for heart disease or hypertension, such as beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and calcium-channel blockers, were linked to higher rates of severe side-effects from breast cancer treatment - but did not appear to affect overall survival rates.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/common-heartburn-blood-pressure-medications-linked-to-worse-breast-cancer-outcomes/6f3e2668-02c0-4f55-9344-59fca65fea1a" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Drugs such as statins and metformin, used to manage high cholesterol and diabetes respectively, showed no significant impacts on either survival or side effects.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-teacher-shot-by-student-wins-15-million-dollar-payout/3daff3e5-d72c-4b79-b99a-e30a49c47350" target="_blank"><strong><span>US teacher shot by six-year-old student wins $15 million payout</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The data was based on 19 major clinical trials involving 23,000 people, sponsored by pharmaceutical companies including Lilly, Pfizer and Roche, and is believed to be the largest and most comprehensive analysis of its kind in the world.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lead author Dr Natansh Modi, from UniSA and Flinders University, said the findings revealed a complex relationship between commonly prescribed medications and cancer outcomes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Many women with breast cancer are also managing other chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or acid reflux, meaning they are often taking multiple drugs at once," Modi said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/elon-musk-first-trillionaire-tesla-pay-packet-approved/a674adac-8ea7-454a-aea8-245907dddb7b" target="_blank"><strong><span>Musk on the cusp of being first ever trillionaire</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Our results don't suggest that people should stop taking their non-cancer medicines, but it underlines how important it is for doctors to regularly review patient medications because people are living longer and managing multiple health issues."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Corresponding senior author, Flinders University Associate Professor Ashley Hopkins, said the findings show that patients taking PPIs in cancer treatment settings warranted closer attention in particular.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It doesn't mean that patients should cease their reflux medication without medical advice, but clinicians should be alert to potential risks and review whether PPIs are genuinely needed," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The researchers said the study highlighted the need for a more holistic approach to breast cancer management that considered all medications a patient was taking.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The authors have also called for follow-up studies to explore the biological reasons behind the observed drug interactions and to develop clinical guidelines for the safe co-prescription of these medicines during cancer therapy.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This year, </span><a href="https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/cancer-types/breast-cancer/breast-cancer-australia-statistics" rel="" target="_blank" title="the government estimates"><span>the government estimates</span></a><span> more than 20,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer, of which 3353 are predicted to die.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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