Use of BP drug hydrochlorothiazide linked to skin cancer: Study
UK: Blood pressure drug hydrochlorothiazide is associated with an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer, finds a recent study in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. According to the authors, the risk was not explained following adjustment for BMI and smoking.
Skin cancers including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma are the most common form of cancer in humans. Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a diuretic medication, is primarily used for the management of hypertension and also congestive cardiac failure and oedema.
HCTZ can increase UV light‐induced DNA damage and cause photosensitivity that could contribute to the development of skin cancer, however, only a a limited number of studies have investigated this association. Daniel R. Morales, University of Dundee, UK, and colleagues aimed to determine associations between HCTZ exposure and skin cancer as observed in a different population and data source, to assess the impact of adjusting for smoking and BMI and to estimate absolute risk.
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