What Is the Connection between Angiotensin and Cancer?

There are some indications that a minor connection between some forms of angiotensin and cancer exist. The results show that patients who take certain kinds of angiotensin-receptor blocker drugs are moderately more likely to develop cancer in a variety of organs — particularly in the lungs. Though the percentage of new cancer cases in several studies is low, some experts have voiced concern that, as millions of patients take the drug, there will be an increase the number of potential cancer cases. Other experts have argued that the risk is too small for patients to stop taking the often life-saving drugs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has conducted its own study of several angiotensin receptor blocker drug trials and has concluded that there is no connection between angiotensin and cancer.

While some studies have claimed a connection between angiotensin and cancer, there has not been an observed increase in the number of deaths from the disease. They also do not show an increased risk of developing the disease over the overall typical risk of a patient having cancer in his or her lifetime. Some experts have suggested that the death rate would increase if the patient follow-up took place over a longer period of time after the studies.

There are other experts who believe that the connection between angiotensin and cancer is weakened by the fact that many patients take angiotensin-receptor blocker drugs for a relatively short period of time. They argue that the risk of developing cancer is exponentially lower if the drugs are not taken for many years. Some skeptics also believe that the life-saving benefits of the drugs outweigh the risk of contracting cancer. Many also state that the findings about a cancer connection are weakened by the lack of scientific evidence determining a reason angiotensin-receptor blocker drugs could cause the disease.

Angiotensin is typically administered to patients in angiotensin-receptor blocker drugs, which are the specific type of medication typically examined in studies. These drugs are usually prescribed to control blood pressure by narrowing the blood vessels. Not all forms of angiotensin have been found to increase the risk of cancer; doctors who are concerned about the study results may even prescribe angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor drugs as an alternative therapy.