Cancer and ARBs

ARBs may be associated with a slight increase in the risk of cancer, a meta-analysis suggests (Lancet Oncology 2010; doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(10) 70106-6).

    The analysis of randomised trials found a significantly higher incidence of new cancers in patients assigned to treatment with an ARB compared with controls (7.2 vs 6.0 per cent). When cancer was a prespecified end-point, the excess risk was 11 per cent. There was no significant difference in cancer deaths.
    A Lancet commentary says the finding should be interpreted cautiously because the trials were not designed to measure cancer incidence as a primary outcome, the analysis could not adjust for confounding factors such as age and smoking, and the excess risk is small compared with the overall incidence of cancer.