HTN Meds Tied to Lower Mortality After Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis

FRIDAY, Feb. 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Use of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors after a pancreatic cancer (PC) diagnosis is associated with a reduced mortality risk, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in BMC Cancer.

Scott W. Keith, Ph.D., from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined whether exposure to ARBs or ACE inhibitors after PC diagnosis is associated with survival using data from 3.7 million adults living in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. A total of 8,158 incident PC patients were identified between 2003 and 2011; 20 percent underwent pancreas resection surgery, 36 percent had metastatic disease, and 86 percent died by December 2012.

The researchers found that patients exposed to ARBs after PC diagnosis had a reduced mortality risk compared with otherwise similar patients (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.72 to 0.89). During the first three years of survival after PC diagnosis, mortality risk was also lower for those exposed to ACE inhibitors (hazard ratio, 0.87; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.80 to 0.94); after surviving three years, the reduced risk was attenuated (hazard ratio, 1.14; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.90 to 1.45).

"We think these data strongly support investing in a clinical study to further explore the use of these inexpensive and safe medications in patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer," Keith said in a statement.

One author disclosed employment by AbbVie.

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