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Mood-stabilizing medication may prevent head and neck cancer

Veterans who took a mood-stabilizing medication for at least 1 year reported lower rates of head and neck cancers, according to a study published in Cancer.

Study findings showed that valproic acid (VPA) — frequently prescribed as an anti-seizure medication and mood stabilizer — was associated with a 34% lower risk for head and neck cancer after 1 year. According to a press release, the histone deacetylase inhibitor may inhibit mutations in DNA structure, reducing the risk for some cancers.

Johann Christoph Brandes, MD, PhD, of the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues assessed a group of 439,628 veterans who were a part of the 2002 through 2008 National Veterans Affairs medical SAS dataset. Patients in the study cohort were aged >40 years and were taking VPA long term as a treatment for bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, migraines and/or seizures (n=26,911).

Using a multivariable analysis, Brandes et al noted that VPA use was associated with a significant reduction in the risk for cancers of the head and neck (HR=0.66; 95% CI, 0.48-0.92). Veterans who took VPA for a least 1 year had a 34% lower risk for a subsequent head and neck cancer diagnosis. VPA demonstrated additional protection against cancer risk factors in veterans who took higher doses for longer durations.

The researchers noted that VPA was effective in reducing risk for head and neck cancers only; no significant differences in rates of lung, bladder, colon and prostate cancer were reported.

“A 34 percent risk reduction for the development of head and neck cancer with VPA use could result in the prevention of up to approximately 16,000 new cases and 3,000 to 4,000 annual deaths in the United States alone,” Brandes said in a press release. “Head and neck cancer is an important global health crisis, and low cost and low toxicity prevention strategies like VPA use have a high potential impact on pain, suffering, costs and mortality associated with this disease.”

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