Does Ritalin Increase Cancer Risk in Children?
Does Ritalin Increase Cancer Risk in Children?
Small Study Suggests Possible Chromosome Damage, but Some Experts Skeptical
Oncologist Herman Kattlove, MD, tells WebMD he remains skeptical about a link between Ritalin and cancer, noting that chromosomal damage and repair is common. Kattlove is a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.
"We all have chromosomal breaks," he says. "That is part of the normal behavior of a cell. But fortunately, we have repair mechanisms which keep us from getting into trouble."
Kattlove says the study does raise questions about Ritalin and other drugs of its class that should be investigated further.
"It is very unlikely that this would be a source of cancer in humans, but since this question has been raised it would be worthwhile to do a clinical study," he says.
Pediatric oncologist Stephen A. Feig, MD, agrees that the risk, if any, is likely to be small.
"We don't know if this is of any clinical significance, because we don't know if the cells are repairing themselves," he tells WebMD. "It seems that in the 50 years that Ritalin has been on the market an increase in cancer risk would be obvious."
Does Ritalin Increase Cancer Risk in Children?
Small Study Suggests Possible Chromosome Damage, but Some Experts Skeptical
Why Are Some Experts Skeptical?
Oncologist Herman Kattlove, MD, tells WebMD he remains skeptical about a link between Ritalin and cancer, noting that chromosomal damage and repair is common. Kattlove is a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.
"We all have chromosomal breaks," he says. "That is part of the normal behavior of a cell. But fortunately, we have repair mechanisms which keep us from getting into trouble."
Kattlove says the study does raise questions about Ritalin and other drugs of its class that should be investigated further.
"It is very unlikely that this would be a source of cancer in humans, but since this question has been raised it would be worthwhile to do a clinical study," he says.
Pediatric oncologist Stephen A. Feig, MD, agrees that the risk, if any, is likely to be small.
"We don't know if this is of any clinical significance, because we don't know if the cells are repairing themselves," he tells WebMD. "It seems that in the 50 years that Ritalin has been on the market an increase in cancer risk would be obvious."