Angiotensin Receptor Blockers and Tumorigenesis: Something To Be (or Not To Be) Concerned About?

• Published in: Current hypertension reports Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 183 - 192
• Main Authors: Tchaikovski, Vadim, Lip, Gregory Y. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Current Science Inc 01.06.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists - adverse effects; Antihypertensive Agents - adverse effects; Cardiology; CARDIOVASCULAR RISK AND HYPERTENSION (PW de LEEUW and AH GRADMAN; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - drug effects; Family Medicine; General Practice; Humans; Hypertension; Internal Medicine; Lung Neoplasms - chemically induced; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Neoplasms - chemically induced; Nephrology; Primary Care Medicine; Risk Factors; SECTION EDITORS; Hypertension; Antihypertensive therapy; ACE; Lung cancer; Angiotensin receptor blockers; Cardiovascular disease; AT1R; Breast cancer; Renin-angiotensin system; AT2R; Carcinogenic; Angiotensin; Cardiovascular risk; Blood pressure; Tumorigenesis; Angiotensin-converting enzyme; ACE inhibitor; Cancer
• ISSN: 1522-6417; 1534-3111
• DOI: 10.1007/s11906-012-0263-x

The possibility of carcinogenic side effects of antihypertensive therapies due to their chronic administration has been raised multiple times in the past. Recently, the issue has again drawn attention, this time in relation to angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). This, among others, caused both American and European drug regulation authorities to review the underlying evidence concerning the relationship between this class of medications and potential adverse carcinogenic outcome. A plethora of both basic science and preclinical evidence has been generated, and three meta-analyses and one nationwide cohort have focused on this specific question. The current review aims to summarize the contemporary multidisciplinary evidence on whether ARBs may be associated with an increased risk of tumorigenesis.