Angiotensin inhibition and malignancies: a review

• Published in: Journal of human hypertension Vol. 23; no. 10; pp. 623 - 635
• Main Authors: Rosenthal, T, Gavras, I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.10.2009; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: ACE inhibitors; Angiotensin converting enzyme; Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers - pharmacology; Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers - therapeutic use; Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Animal models; Animals; Anticarcinogenic Agents - pharmacology; Anticarcinogenic Agents - therapeutic use; Antihypertensive Agents - pharmacology; Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cancer; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - drug effects; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - metabolism; Clinical manifestations. Epidemiology. Investigative techniques. Etiology; Dosage and administration; Epidemiology; Evidence-Based Medicine; Genetic aspects; Genotypes; Health Administration; Health aspects; Humans; Hypertension - drug therapy; Hypertension - enzymology; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neoplasms - enzymology; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Patient outcomes; Peptidyl-dipeptidase A; Population studies; Prevention; Public Health; Renin; Renin-Angiotensin System - drug effects; review; Risk factors; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Tumors; Israel; Ang II antagonists; ACE inhibitors; cancer; Hypertension; Angiotensin; Cardiovascular disease; Malignant tumor; ACE inhibitor; Cancer
• ISSN: 0950-9240; 1476-5527
• DOI: 10.1038/jhh.2009.21

After an early report that patients treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors had a lower than expected incidence of cancers, there was a large number of publications investigating the possible pathophysiological mechanism mediating this effect, as well as population studies comparing the incidence of cancers in patients treated with agents inhibiting the renin–angiotensin system with their incidence in the general population. Several mechanisms are proposed to explain a potential anti-tumour activity of such agents in vitro in experimental animal models. However, the population studies are mostly inconclusive, although they do suggest a possible interaction between ACE genotypes and susceptibility to altered behaviour of certain tumours.