You have probably heard of all the varied things that might cause cancer. But you may not know that a prescription drug marketed to improve your health could likely cause cancer and immune deficiency. So far, researchers have linked three defective drugs to an increased risk of these two conditions.
- Prempro – a hormone replacement drug.
- Humira – used to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
- Remicade – also used to treat the same symptoms as Humira.
Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in America, leading to more than 564,000 deaths in 2006. Immune deficiency disorders weaken a person’s immune system – eventually resulting in the body’s inability to properly ward off infections. Sufferers will experience frequent infections that are generally more severe and last longer than they typically would. This inability to ward off infections puts them at a greater risk of cancer.
A Mayo Clinic study found Remicade and Humira users are two times more likely to suffer from immune deficiency and three times more likely to develop certain types of cancers. Another study by the Women’s Health Initiative found a link between Prempro use and breast cancer. In the face of the evidence linking the drugs to cancer and immune deficiency, the drug makers comment that the benefits of the drug outweigh any risks.
Has a doctor prescribed for you any of the above listed drugs?
