Liver Cancer From Steroids? : Cases Involving Two Athletes Prompt Warning by Researchers

An otherwise healthy athlete from California developed a liver tumor after taking anabolic steroids to build his muscles--the second such case reported within the last 11 months--and researchers warn that scores of drug-using athletes may have liver cancer.

It is impossible to prove steroids caused the tumor, but “having two cases in one year leads us to believe there could be a flurry of these cases in the very near future,” said Dr. Bob Goldman, a Chicago osteopathic physician.

“There may be scores of athletes (who used steroids) walking around with liver cancer right now and not even know it” because tests often don’t reveal the presence of tumors until they are larger than two inches across, Goldman said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Dr. Wylie Overly, a Latrobe, Pa., cancer specialist who reported the first case last March, agreed with Goldman, saying: “There’s all kinds of evidence to support the fact that we’re going to see more of these (liver cancers) if the athletes keep taking the drugs.”

Many athletes use anabolic steroids, synthetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone, believing they help build muscle bulk and increase strength.

Since 1965, medical journals have reported 33 cases in which people developed liver cancer after receiving steroids as a treatment for various diseases. But last March, Overly reported the first case of liver cancer in an otherwise healthy athlete. The 26-year-old bodybuilder, who had taken steroids for three years, died of the cancer.

The latest case, involving a 37-year-old Californian who had a four-pound tumor removed along with 60% of his liver last November, is outlined in a letter by Goldman to be published next week in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Assn.

The athlete, who asked Goldman not to reveal his identity or residence, “is alive at the moment . . . and intends on doing something about what has happened--like suing” the doctor who prescribed the steroids, Goldman said by telephone from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He declined to identify the doctor.

Goldman is known for his 1984 book “Death in the Locker Room,” which warned about steroid dangers. He said the athlete is not a professional but “a recreational athlete--a weightlifter who played basketball and racquetball.” The man took 50 milligrams of the steroid drug Anadrol twice a day for nearly five years to increase his muscle mass, Goldman said.

Medical authorities say there is conflicting evidence on whether steroids build strength, but they warn the hormones have been found to lead to liver damage and other ailments, including heart disease, sterility, hormone imbalances, immune system problems and hair loss.

In a telephone interview, Overly said athletes should be warned that the use of the drugs “is not worth it.”

Many athletes who use steroids, however, contend that reports of side effects are exaggerated.

Athletes can reduce their risk by stopping use of the drugs, Goldman said, adding, “If they will get off the drugs quick enough, many times the (already formed) tumor will regress or go away.”

While an association between steroid use and liver cancer does not prove the drugs cause cancer, Goldman said the discovery of a second case in an otherwise healthy man undercuts claims by steroid advocates that the first case was an isolated event.

Previous studies are “very strong about the cancer-producing ability of male hormones,” he said.