No Chemopreventive Effect of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer: Evidence from Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC),which includes squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC), is the most common form of cancer, and its incidence is increasing. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been reported to be chemopreventive for NMSC. However, the results from published studies were controversial. METHODS: We searched the PubMed and Embase databases for relevant studies. Moreover, relevant reviews regarding the use of NSAIDs for NMSC patients were examined for potential inclusive studies. To measure the effects of NSAIDs, the relative risk (RR) was analyzed. RESULTS: A Total of 8 studies were included in our meta-analysis. We found that NSAIDs use was not associated with a reduced risk of SCC or BCC under the random effects model (pooled RR = 0.86, 95% CI, 0.73–1.02, P = 0.085; pooled RR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.85–1.04, P = 0.266; respectively). CONCLUSION: From the included studies, we found no statistically significant chemopreventive effect on NMSC of NSAIDs. This finding warrants more prospective studies evaluating the relationship between NSAIDs and NMSC.