JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2020) 112(9): djz217 doi: 10.1093/jnci/djz217 First published online November 5, 2019 Brief Communication Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jnci/djz217/5613208 by University of Southern Denmark user on 16 May 2020 May on 16 user Denmark Southern of by University https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jnci/djz217/5613208 from Downloaded BRIEF COMMUNICATION Antihistamines and Ovarian Cancer Survival: Nationwide Cohort Study and in Vitro Cell Viability Assay Freija Verdoodt , Christian Dehlendorff , Marja Ja€attel€ a,€ Robert Strauss , Anton Pottega˚rd, Jesper Hallas, Søren Friis, Susanne K. Kjaer See the Notes section for the full list of authors’ affiliations. Correspondence to: Susanne K. Kjaer, MD, DMSc, Unit of Virus, Lifestyle and Genes, Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark (e-mail:
[email protected]). Abstract Antihistamines with cationic amphiphilic drug (CAD) characteristics induce cancer-specific cell death in experimental stud- ies. Epidemiologic evidence is, however, limited. In a Danish nationwide cohort of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed during 2000–2015 (n 5075), we evaluated the association between filled antihistamine prescriptions and cancer mortality. We used ¼ Cox regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for ovarian cancer mortality. In an in vitro cell viability assay, we evaluated cell death in three ovarian cancer cell lines after treatment with clinically relevant doses of eight antihistamines. In our cohort study, CAD antihistamine use ( 1 prescription; n 133) was associated with a ¼ hazard ratio of 0.63 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.99) compared to use of non-CAD antihistamines (n 304), and we found a tendency ¼ ¼ toward a dose-response association.