Use of mood stabilizing drug linked with reduced risk of developing head and neck cancer

24 March 2014

A new study indicates that a commonly used mood stabilizing drug may help prevent head and neck cancer. The study is published early on-line in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Valproic acid (VPA) is currently prescribed as an anti-seizure medication and mood stabilizer, but it is also being studied as an anticancer agent because it inhibits histone acetyl transferases, which help control gene expression by changing DNA structure.

Johann Christoph Brandes of the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Emory University in Atlanta, led a team that assessed the anticancer effects of VPA in a study of 439,628 veterans, of whom 26,911 were taking the medication for bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, migraines, and seizures.

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