This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein did not increase cancer rates
According to data from a recently published study, the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein during lumbar fusion surgery improves fusion rates and does not increase the risk of cancer.
Researchers from the Neuroscience Institute, Epworth Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, conducted a retrospective cohort study of 527 patients who underwent lumbar fusion surgery with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP). Two spine surgeons performed the procedures between 2002 and 2012 and used either rhBMP-2 (Infuse, Medtronic) or rhBMP-7 (Osteogenic Protein 1, Stryker Biotech). Patients received rhBMP-2 in 77% of cases and rhBMP-7 in 23%.
An independent research assistant sent a questionnaire to participants to determine any new disease or cancer diagnoses after surgery. Both rhBMP-2 and rhBMP-7 resulted in fusion rates of (90.1% and 91.9%, respectively. The overall fusion rate for rhBMP was 93.5% at 12 months.
Researchers found 27 patients were diagnosed with a new invasive cancer after the spinal procedure. They compared the cancer rate in the patient cohort with the expected cancer rate for patients of that age and gender and concluded that patients in the study group were not at an increased risk for cancer. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.