Antihypertensives Linked to Reduced Mortality in Colorectal Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Antihypertensive medication use is associated with a reduction in cancer-specific mortality among patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a study published in the August issue of Cancer Medicine.

Rajesh Balkrishnan, Ph.D., from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and colleagues conducted a noninterventional, retrospective analysis of 13,982 patients aged 65 years and older with CRC diagnosed from Jan. 1, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2012, in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results Medicare database. The authors examined the association between antihypertensive drug utilization and the American Joint Committee on Cancer stage I to III CRC mortality rates.

The researchers found that the use of antihypertensive drugs was associated with decreased cancer-specific mortality among patients diagnosed with CRC (hazard ratio, 0.79). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, and thiazide diuretics were associated with decreased mortality (hazard ratios, 0.84, 0.83, and 0.83, respectively). There was also an association between adherence to antihypertensive therapy and reduced cancer-specific mortality (hazard ratio, 0.94).

“The results of this study are novel and suggest future research analyzing the application of antihypertensives as a tool to improve cancer-related mortality,” the authors write.

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