Antihypertensive therapy and cancer risk

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the available data linking antihypertensive drug therapy to cancer risk. In recent years, a number of mainly retrospective studies have reached different conclusions on the risk of cancer in patients with hypertension being treated with different...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Drug safety 2001, Vol.24 (10), p.727-739
Main Authors: FELMEDEN, Dirk C, LIP, Gregory Y. H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adrenergic beta-Antagonists - adverse effects
Adrenergic beta-Antagonists - therapeutic use
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors - adverse effects
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Antihypertensive Agents - adverse effects
Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use
antihypertensives
Biological and medical sciences
calcium antagonists
Calcium Channel Blockers - adverse effects
Calcium Channel Blockers - therapeutic use
Diuretics - adverse effects
Diuretics - therapeutic use
Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment
Female
Humans
Hypertension - drug therapy
Male
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...)
Neoplasms - chemically induced
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Risk Factors
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Summary:The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the available data linking antihypertensive drug therapy to cancer risk. In recent years, a number of mainly retrospective studies have reached different conclusions on the risk of cancer in patients with hypertension being treated with different antihypertensive drugs. At some point or another nearly all antihypertensive drugs have been suggested to increase the risk of cancer. Some studies have even found an association between hypertension itself and increased carcinogenesis. For calcium channel antagonists, beta-blockers and alpha-blockers, the available evidence seems to favour a neutral effect on cancer development and death rate. For ACE inhibitors, the overall data suggest a similar neutral effect on cancer or, possibly, a small protective effect. Perhaps the strongest evidence in favour of a link, although probably weak, between cancer and antihypertensive drugs is with the diuretics. Until further solid data are available from prospective clinical trials, we suggest that the management of hypertension should continue according to current treatment guidelines with little fear of any substantial cancer risk.
ISSN:0114-5916
DOI:10.2165/00002018-200124100-00002