Using blood pressure medication was not associated with an increased risk of developing cancer, a new analysis found.
The research, presented Aug. 31 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, included data from 31 randomized trials about blood pressure medication.
The trials involved 260,000 people and investigated five antihypertensive drug classes separately: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; angiotensin II receptor blockers; beta blockers; calcium channel blockers; and diuretics. Researchers examined cancer outcomes among those participating in the trials.
Over an average of four years, there were about 15,000 new cancer diagnoses. The researchers found no evidence that the use of any antihypertensive drug class increased the risk of cancer, regardless of age, gender, body size, smoking status and previous blood pressure drug use.