On June 14, 2010, Lancet Oncol published online the results of a large meta-analysis:The risk of new cancer was significantly increased in those randomized to the antihypertensive drug angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) compared with controls [7.2% versus 6.0%, hazard ratio (RR) 1.08, p=0.016], and in studies with data on new cancer study, 30,014 (85.7%) of those treated with ARBs were treated with the study drug temisartan, and the analysis indicated that ARB use was associated with a mildly increased risk of newly diagnosed cancer. Jin Yuhua, Department of Geriatrics, Shanghai Renji Hospital
The German company Boehringer Ingelheim, which manufactures temisartan, immediately issued a statement: In the ONTARGET study, there was no statistically significant difference in malignancy between those treated with temisartan and those treated with ramipril; in the TRANSCEND study, the difference did not reach statistical significance; in the PRoFESS study, more cases of malignancy occurred in the placebo group than in the ramipril group. In the PRoFESS study, there were more cases of malignancy in the placebo group than in the temisartan group.
The article published in The Lancet has aroused great concern among physicians and patients, and the author’s specialist clinic has been repeatedly asked whether it is safe to take ARB-type antihypertensive drugs. Combining the opinions of domestic and foreign experts, I believe that the meta-analysis has some limitations after all, and there is still a lack of very reliable evidence that ARB drugs increase the incidence of cancer.