Friday, June 11, 2010

Blood Pressure Drugs, Cancer Risk


Jakarta - Using the popular drug to increase blood pressure and heart failure associated with at least an increased risk of heart disease.

These drugs known as angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), and medicines including telmisartan Micardis), losartan (Cozaar, Hyzaar), valsartan (Diovan), and candesartan (Atacand).

Overall, the researchers observed an experiment on 223 000 patients. "Patients treated with ARBs, approximately 10% experienced an increase in cancer, relative to those not given medication," said Dr. Ilke Sipahi, assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserce University. He wrote this report in the journal Lancet Oncology, 14th edition June.


Although there was an increased risk, researchers made a note that there is little increase in the number of deaths from cancer will ARB in which users are using the ARB 1.8%, 1.6% of them experience death. This is a distinction that is not too significant.

Individuals who conduct these trials, 85.7%, using the ARB telmisartan (Micardis) where others consume ARB like losartan, valsartan, and candesartan.

"Experimental studies using animal models of cancer cells and has been implicated in the blockage of angiotensin system, which stimulates the growth of tumor cells," said Sipahi. "Evidence from animal studies indicate that angiotensin receptor blockage can stimulate tumor growth by promoting the formation of new blood vessels in tumors."

But the evidence that ARBs could contribute significantly in the growth of cancer remains unclear, he said. These findings only show relations, not causal.

Dr Hwyda Arafat, who has conducted research on the angiotensin system and pancreatic cancer, says there is some evidence from animal models that the ARB can prevent cancer growth.

But it is also possible that treatment with an ARB can lead to cancerous growth, said Arafat, who is also professor of surgery, pathology, anatomy and cellular biology at Thomas Jefferson University. ARB treatment can increase the amount of angiotensin freely in and around the cells and allows an effect on tumors.

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