IARC launches new OPICO website

A new website from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) presents information about the Opioid Cohort Consortium (OPICO). OPICO was established in 2021 by IARC, in collaboration with 20 international research institutes, to develop the largest and most comprehensive resource for investigating opioid use and its long‑term health effects.

OPICO harmonizes data from 30 sources, including prospective cohort studies, cancer registries, medication dispensing or prescription records, and electronic health records from North America, Europe, and Australia. In total, OPICO includes nearly 1.2 million individuals, with detailed data on opioid use at baseline and over time, as well as chronic health conditions and key confounders, followed up for a median of 10 years.

Inappropriate opioid use has emerged as a public health challenge in several countries, driven by rising patterns of misuse and dependence. Although the short-term public health consequences, such as increased overdose deaths and toxicities, are well documented, the long-term public health effects remain unknown. In 2020, the IARC Monographs programme classified consumption of opium, the minimally processed product derived from the latex of the unripe seedpod of the poppy plant, as carcinogenic to humans. Although that evaluation did not include other opiates or synthetic opioids, it raised concerns about how the use of prescription opioids may relate to subsequent cancer risk.

OPICO is expected to provide a unique resource for generating robust evidence on the long-term health consequences of opioid use, while enabling genetic and molecular research to complement epidemiological findings and uncover underlying biological mechanisms. This is expected to strengthen the public health evidence base and inform clinical decision-making, particularly in selecting pain management strategies for patients with longer life expectancies, as well as opioid prescribing guidelines and prevention strategies.

Visit the OPICO website