Treatment of hypertension with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, according to a large retrospective study, that included more than 185,000 patients aged 40 years or older and undergoing colonoscopy (no signs cancer) between 2005 and 2013.
The primary outcome of the study was colorectal cancer, which was diagnosed between 6 and 36 months after the first colonoscopy, and the mean age at colonoscopy was 60.6 years. Of the entire group, 30,856 people (16.4%) were taking ACE / ARB inhibitors. Between 6 months and 3 years after the first colonoscopy, 854 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed, with an incidence rate of 15.2 per 10,000 person-years. The median time between first colonoscopy and cancer diagnosis was 1.2 years.
The article was published in the journal "Hypertension", where it was shown that the use of ACE / ARB inhibitors was associated with a 22% reduction in the risk of developing colorectal cancer over the next 3 years after the primary colonoscopy. It found that the use of ACE / ARB inhibitors was associated with an increased risk of lung and prostate cancer, but with a lower risk of breast cancer.
