Background: We conducted the first study to investigate post-diagnostic oral bisphosphonates use and colorectal cancer-specific mortality.
Methods: Colorectal cancer patients were identified from the National Cancer Data Repository (1998-2007) and linked to the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, providing prescription records, and Office of National Statistics mortality data. Time-dependent Cox regression models investigated colorectal cancer-specific mortality in post-diagnostic bisphosphonate users.
Results: Overall, in 4791 colorectal cancer patients, there was no evidence of an association between bisphosphonate use and colorectal cancer-specific mortality (adjusted hazard ratio=1.11; 95% confidence interval 0.80, 1.54) or with drug frequency or type.
Conclusions: In this novel population-based cohort study, post-diagnostic bisphosphonate use was not associated with longer rates of colorectal cancer survival.