ARB use and risk of cancer

January 01, 0001

ARB use and risk of cancer

There is some suggestion that angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use is linked with an increased risk of incident cancer. These Danish researchers examined data from individuals in Danish registries in a nationwide cohort of new users of ARBs and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. They compared incidence cancer rates and cancer mortality.

The researchers found: "Among 107,466 ARB users, 3954 cases of cancer were detected during 312 753 person-years of follow-up compared with 6214 cases during 435,207 person-years of follow-up in 209,692 angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitor users (adjusted rate ratio, 0.99). Cancer risk did not increase with increasing duration of ARB exposure (increase in rate ratio per year, 0.99) and was similar across individual ARBs. In subgroup analyses, there was a significant association between ARB use and cancer of male genital organs (rate ratio, 1.15), but no significantly increased risk of any of the other 15 cancer subgroups, including lung cancer (rate ratio, 0.92). For cancer mortality, the rate ratio was 0.77"

The researchers concluded: "In this large nationwide cohort, use of ARBs was not significantly associated with increased risk of incident cancer overall or of lung cancer."

ARB use does not appear to be linked to cancer based on this large cohort trial


For the full abstract, click here.

Circulation 123(16):1729-1736, 26 April 2011 © 2011 American Heart Association, Inc.
Use of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers and the Risk of Cancer. Björn Pasternak, Henrik Svanström, Torbjörn Callréus, Mads Melbye, Anders Hviid. Correspondence to Björn Pasternak: [email protected]

Category: A. General/Unspecified. Keywords: angiotension receptor blocker, ARB, cancer, lung, mortality, cohort study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 17 May 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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