BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Authors of an abstract reporting preliminary results showing hydrogen peroxide may be a cancer promoter have retracted their presentation of study findings.
The study was conducted in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.
An abstract was published in conjunction with the joint meeting of the American Association of Dental Research and the International Association of Dental Research held March 10-13 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a poster relating to the study was presented at the meeting.
The retraction states:
"As authors on the abstract 'Hydrogen Peroxide: A Promoter in Cancer Development,' presented on March 12, 1999, at the combined meetings of the American and International Associations of Dental Research, we are retracting the presentation of study findings. Data obtained in that study were mistakenly interpreted as being suggestive of a link between the use of hydrogen peroxide or hydrogen peroxide-containing pharmaceuticals and oral precancerous lesions or frank cancerous lesions in humans."Briefly, this study utilized the hamster buccal-cheek-pouch model, and consisted of painting cheek pouches of the animals bilaterally with DMBA (0.5%9, 10-dimethyl-1, 2-benzantracene), a known carcinogen, for a period of six weeks, which ordinarily produces visible lesions that are characteristically premalignant. There were no macroscopically obvious visible lesions present at that time.
"Following the induction phase, the DMBA paintings were discontinued. After a period of one week, the right cheek pouches were treated three times weekly with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide only for a period of 12 weeks.
"Using a parenterally-administered fluorescence-producing substance and a photodetection device, fluorescence readings were obtained from the left cheek pouches and compared to those from the right cheek pouches in each animal. Any differences in fluorescence cannot be interpreted as being due to promotion of precancerous lesions or of cancerous lesions by hydrogen peroxide in this study.
"As stated in the original press release dated 3/12/99, this was only preliminary data, and as of now, no macroscopically visible cancers have been detected, nor have the study animals been subjected to analysis of tissue samples. This study does not demonstrate that hydrogen peroxide or dental products containing hydrogen peroxide as an active ingredient cause or promote oral cancers in animal models or in humans.
"Once again, this abstract and any statements made by the authors at the IADR/AADR meeting or to the media regarding these research findings are being retracted."
The authors of the abstract are Barry C. Boyd, D.M.D., M.D., assistant professor; Thomas S. Mang, Ph.D, clinical associate professor, and Charles Liebow, D.M.D., professor, all of the UB Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and student Thaun Loi.
Text of the original press release is available at:
www.eurekalert.org/releases/ubuf-cdb031099.html