Increased Cancer Risk from Popular Health Products

A popular class of drugs used to treat heart disease have been linked to a slight increase in the risk of cancer. An American study, which included nine separate trials, tested angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) and found an additional cancer patient for every one hundred subjects.

As extensive as the study was, officials are urging people to continue taking these health products.

Heart disease is currently the number one cause of death in the UK and an estimated 2.5 million people take these medications. The number of deaths that would occur if each of them were to stop taking them would be unimaginable.

In the end, the risk of a slight increase in cancer does not compare with the risks of discontinuing these drugs. Of course, both doctors and researchers agree that additional testing is required. The results of the first study were by no means conclusive.

At present, ARBs remain the most commonly prescribed class of drugs that are used to treat conditions like hypertension and heart failure. About ten million people in the UK have been diagnosed with these conditions.

What about the cancer risk? Compared with a placebo, the study found that there was a one percent increase in the risk of a cancer diagnosis for patients who have been taking ARBs for several years. Ultimately, it is up to the patient and his doctor to determine if this is significant.

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