Antihypertensive drugs and risk of cancer

Antihypertensive drugs and risk of cancer

Article Type: Reviews of effectiveness From: Clinical Governance: An International Journal, Volume 17, Issue 2

Bangalore, S., Kumar, S., Kjeldsen, S.E., Makani, H., Grossman, E., Wetterslev, J., Gupta, A.K., Sever, P.S., Gluud, C., Messerli, F.H.,Antihypertensive drugs and risk of cancer: network meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses of 324,168 participants from randomised trials,Lancet Oncology,Vol. 12 No. 1,pp. 65-82

The authors suggested that the results refuted a 5 to 10 per cent relative increased risk of cancer or cancer-related death following antihypertensive treatment, but an increased cancer risk from combination angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor-blockers could not be ruled out. This was a well-conducted review and the authors’conclusion is likely to be reliable.