Spironolactone and the risk of urinary tract cancer in patients with hypertension: a nationwide population-based retrospective case–control study

The Risk for Prostate Cancer With Calcium Channel Blockers: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression

BACKGROUND

For decades, conflicting results were published regarding the increased risk of Prostate cancer (PCa) among calcium channel blocker (CCB) users.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to evaluate the association between PCa and CCB exposure and assess moderating factors.

METHODS

We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases for observational and randomized studies published until November 2020 with no language limitations, including data on the risk for PCa in CCB users compared with non-CCB users. We applied a random-effects model meta-analysis to pool results. In addition, we investigated potential moderating factors, such as CCB type, study type, participants' age, and duration of exposure, using meta-regression methods.

RESULTS

In our primary analysis, we included 18 studies. A statistically significant 5% increase in the risk for PCa was observed among CCB users (risk ratio [RR] = 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.10), with no significant association between the duration of exposure to CCBs and the risk for PCa (RR = 1.08; 95% CI: 0.98-1.19 for exposure for < 5years and RR = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.9-1.14 for exposure ≥ 5 years). The association remained statistically significant for the subgroup of dihydropyridines (RR = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.05-1.22). In addition, the association was not influenced by participants' age.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

CCBs are an important modality in treating hypertension. The 5% increased risk observed in the current meta-analysis could be influenced by residual confounding factors and should not affect hypertension treatment guidelines until more studies provide additional clinical information.

Antihypertensive Drugs and Cancer Risk

Hypertension is the most prevalent comorbidity in cancer patients. Consequently, many cancer patients are prescribed antihypertensive drugs before cancer diagnosis or during cancer treatment. However, whether antihypertensive drugs affect the incidence, treatment efficacy, or prognosis of cancer remains unanswered. For instance, renin-angiotensin and β-adrenergic signaling may be involved not only in blood pressure elevation but also in cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and tissue invasion. Therefore, the inhibition of these pathways may have beneficial effects on cancer prevention or treatment. In this article, we reviewed several studies regarding antihypertensive drugs and cancer. In particular, we focused on the results of clinical trials to evaluate whether the use of antihypertensive drugs affects future cancer risk and prognosis. Unfortunately, the results are somewhat inconsistent, and evidence demonstrating the effect of antihypertensive drugs remains limited. We indicate that the heterogeneity in the study designs makes it difficult to clarify the causal relationship between antihypertensive drugs and cancer. We also propose that additional experimental studies, including research with induced pluripotent cells derived from cancer patients, single-cell analyses of cancer cell clusters, and clinical studies using artificial intelligence electronic health record systems, might be helpful to reveal the precise association between antihypertensive drugs and cancer risk.

Association of Spironolactone Use With Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

While originally approved for the management of heart failure, hypertension, and edema, spironolactone is commonly used off label in the management of acne, hidradenitis, androgenetic alopecia, and hirsutism. However, spironolactone carries an official warning from the US Food and Drug Administration regarding potential for tumorigenicity.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the pooled occurrence of cancers, in particular breast and prostate cancers, among those who were ever treated with spironolactone.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception through June 11, 2021. The search was restricted to studies in the English language.

STUDY SELECTION

Included studies reported the occurrence of cancers in men and women 18 years and older who were exposed to spironolactone.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Two independent reviewers (K.B. and H.H.) selected studies, extracted data, and appraised the risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Studies were synthesized using random effects meta-analysis.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Cancer occurrence, with a focus on breast and prostate cancers.

RESULTS

Seven studies met eligibility criteria, with sample sizes ranging from 18 035 to 2.3 million and a total population of 4 528 332 individuals (mean age, 62.6-72.0 years; in the studies without stratification by sex, women accounted for 17.2%-54.4%). All studies were considered to be of low risk of bias. No statistically significant association was observed between spironolactone use and risk of breast cancer (risk ratio [RR], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.86-1.22; certainty of evidence very low). There was an association between spironolactone use and decreased risk of prostate cancer (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68-0.90; certainty of evidence very low). There was no statistically significant association between spironolactone use and risk of ovarian cancer (RR, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.84-2.20; certainty of evidence very low), bladder cancer (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.71-1.07; certainty of evidence very low), kidney cancer (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.85-1.07; certainty of evidence low), gastric cancer (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.80-1.24; certainty of evidence low), or esophageal cancer (RR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.91-1.27; certainty of evidence low).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, spironolactone use was not associated with a substantial increased risk of cancer and was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer. However, the certainty of the evidence was low and future studies are needed, including among diverse populations such as younger individuals and those with acne or hirsutism.

Retrospective evaluation of the impact of non-oncologic chronic drug therapy on the survival in patients with bladder cancer

Background Chronic drug therapy may impact recurrence and survival of patients with bladder cancer and thus be of concern regarding drug choice and treatment decisions. Currently, data are conflicting for some drug classes and missing for others. Objective To analyze the impact of common non-oncologic chronic drug intake on survival in patients with bladder cancer and radical cystectomy. Setting. Patients with bladder cancer and radical cystectomy (2004–2018) at the University Hospital Munich. Method Data from an established internal database with patients with bladder cancer and radical cystectomy were included in a retrospective study. Drug therapy at the time of radical cystectomy and survival data were assessed and follow-up performed 3 months after radical cystectomy and yearly until death or present. Impact on survival was analyzed for antihypertensive, antidiabetic, anti-gout, antithrombotic drugs and statins, using the Kaplan–Meier method, log-rank test and Cox-regression models. Main outcome measure Recurrence free survival, cancer specific survival and overall survival for users versus non-users of predefined drug classes. Results Medication and survival data were available in 972 patients. Median follow-up time was 22 months (IQR 7–61). In the univariate analysis, a significant negative impact among users on recurrence free survival (n = 93; p = 0.038), cancer specific survival (n = 116; p < 0.001) and overall survival (n = 116; p < 0.001) was found for calcium-channel blockers, whereas angiotensin-receptor-blockers negatively influenced overall survival (n = 96; p = 0.020), but not recurrence free survival (n = 73; p = 0.696) and cancer specific survival (n = 96; p = 0.406). No effect of angiotensin-receptor-blockers and calcium-channel blockers was seen in the multivariate analysis. None of the other studied drugs had an impact on survival. Conclusion There was no impact on bladder cancer recurrence and survival for any of the analyzed drugs. Considering our results and the controverse findings in the literature, there is currently no evidence to withhold indicated drugs or choose specific drug classes among the evaluated non-oncologic chronic drug therapies. Thus, prospective studies are required for further insight. Trail registration This is part of the trial DRKS00017080, registered 11.10.2019.

Antihypertensive Drugs and Risk of Cancer: Between Scylla and Charybdis

Antihypertensive drugs namely angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, and diuretics are among the most clearly documented regimens worldwide with an overall cardioprotective benefit. Given that malignancy is the second leading cause of mortality, numerous observational studies aimed to investigate the carcinogenic potential of these agents with conflicting results. The purpose of this review was to summarize current data in an effort to explore rare side effects and new mechanisms linking antihypertensive drugs with the risk of developing cancer.

Spironolactone use is associated with lower prostate cancer risk: a population-wide case-control study

BACKGROUND

Spironolactone, a cheap effective diuretic used to manage hypertension and heart failure, also has anti-androgenic effects through its non-selective binding to steroid receptors, and hence may affect prostate cancer (PCa) risk. This study investigated the association between spironolactone use and PCa risk. For comparison, we also examined associations with thiazide diuretics which do not have anti-androgenic properties.

METHODS

A matched case-control study was undertaken using population-wide data from the Prostate Cancer Data Base Sweden (PCBaSe). All PCa cases diagnosed from 2014 to 2016 were matched by birth year and county with PCa-free controls selected from the general population (1:5). Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to examine associations between spironolactone use (dose and duration) and PCa risk, and similarly for thiazides.

RESULTS

Three percent of the 31,591 cases and 4% of the 156,802 controls had been prescribed spironolactone. Multivariable analyses indicated reduced risk of PCa among those ever exposed to spironolactone (odds ratio [OR] 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76-0.89), with a stronger association for current users (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.69-0.86) than past users (OR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.79-0.97) and decreasing risk with increasing dose (p-trend < 0.001). No association was observed for thiazide exposure and PCa risk. Biases due to differences in prescribing patterns or frequency of PSA testing may have influenced these findings.

CONCLUSION

PCa risk was reduced among men exposed to the diuretic spironolactone. Further investigation of spironolactone's potential chemopreventive effects is warranted.

Antihypertensive medications are associated with the risk of kidney and bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Several studies have indicated that the use of antihypertensive medications may influence the incidence of bladder/kidney cancer, with some scholars refuting any such association. Hence, a systematic review is needed to verify this linkage. we comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for original studies reporting a relationship between antihypertensive medications and risk of bladder/kidney cancer. We included 31 articles comprising 3,352,264 participants. We found a significant association between the risk of kidney cancer and any antihypertensive medications use (relative risk (RR) = 1.45, 95% CI 1.20-1.75), as well as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (RR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.04-1.48), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) (RR = 1.29, 95% CI:1.22-1.37), beta-blockers (RR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.11-1.66), calcium-channel blockers (RR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.54-1.78) and diuretics (RR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.19-1.51). In case of bladder cancer, a statistical significance was observed with the use of ARB (RR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.03-1.11) but not with the other antihypertensive medications. There was a linear association between the duration of antihypertensive medications and the risk of kidney cancer (P = 0.061 for a non-linear trend) and the pooled RR for the per year increase in antihypertensive medications duration of use was 1.02 (95% CI: 1.01-1.02). Our results indicate that there is a significant association between each class of antihypertensive medications and the risk of kidney cancer, and this trend presented as a positive linear association. Furthermore, the use of ARB has been linked to the risk of bladder cancer.

Role of glucocorticoid signaling in urothelial tumorigenesis: Inhibition by prednisone presumably through inducing glucocorticoid receptor transrepression

Glucocorticoids, including dexamethasone (DEX) and prednisone (PRED), have been prescribed in patients with neoplastic disease as cytotoxic agents or comedications. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether they have an impact on the development of bladder cancer. We, therefore, assessed the functional role of the glucocorticoid-mediated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling in urothelial tumorigenesis. Tumor formation was significantly delayed in xenograft-bearing mice with implantation of control bladder cancer UMUC3 cells or nonneoplastic urothelial SVHUC cells undergoing malignant transformation induced by a chemical carcinogen 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA), compared with respective GR knockdown xenografts. Using the in vitro system with MCA-SVHUC cells, we screened 11 GR ligands, including DEX, and found significant inhibitory effects of PRED on their neoplastic transformation. The effects of PRED were restored by a GR antagonist RU486 in GR-positive MCA-SVHUC cells, while PRED failed to inhibit the neoplastic transformation of GR knockdown cells. Significant decreases in the expression levels of oncogenes (c-Fos/c-Jun) and significant increases in those of a tumor suppressor UGT1A were seen in MCA-SVHUC-control cells (vs GR-short hairpin RNA) or PRED-treated MCA-SVHUC-control cells (vs mock). In addition, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine induced bladder cancer in all of eight mock-treated mice vs seven (87.5%) of DEX-treated (P = .302) or four (50%) of PRED-treated (P = .021) animals. Finally, DEX was found to considerably induce both transactivation (activation of glucocorticoid-response element mediated transcription and expression of its targets) and transrepression (suppression of nuclear factor-kappa B transactivation and expression of its regulated genes) of GR in SVHUC cells, while PRED more selectively induced GR transrepression. These findings suggest that PRED could prevent urothelial tumorigenesis presumably via inducing GR transrepression.

Spironolactone inhibits the growth of cancer stem cells by impairing DNA damage response

The cancer stem cell (CSC) model suggests that a subpopulation of cells within the tumor, the CSCs, is responsible for cancer relapse and metastasis formation. CSCs hold unique characteristics, such as self-renewal, differentiation abilities, and resistance to chemotherapy, raising the need for discovering drugs that target CSCs. Previously we have found that the antihypertensive drug spironolactone impairs DNA damage response in cancer cells. Here we show that spironolactone, apart from inhibiting cancerous cell growth, is also highly toxic to CSCs. Notably, we demonstrate that CSCs have high basal levels of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Mechanistically, we reveal that spironolactone does not damage the DNA but impairs DSB repair and induces apoptosis in cancer cells and CSCs while sparing healthy cells. In vivo, spironolactone treatment reduced the size and CSC content of tumors. Overall, we suggest spironolactone as an anticancer reagent, toxic to both cancer cells and, particularly to, CSCs.

The association between Type 1 diabetes mellitus and periodontal diseases

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting oral health. Evidence shows possible association between T1DM and periodontal diseases (PDs). We conducted a nationwide population-based study in Taiwan, with a 14-year follow-up to investigate the risk of PDs in T1DM patients.

METHODS

We used data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The T1DM cohort was identified with newly diagnosed T1DM from 1998 to 2011. The non-T1DM cohort was frequency matched with the T1DM cohort. Participants comprised 4248 patients in the T1DM cohort and 16992 persons in the non-T1DM cohort.

RESULTS

The T1DM patients showed an increased risk of PDs compared to non-T1DM individuals [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.45]. T1DM patients who visited the emergency room more than twice per year had a higher aHR of 13.0 for developing PDs. The aHR for PDs was 13.2 in the T1DM patients who had been hospitalized more than twice per year.

CONCLUSION

T1DM patients are at higher risk of developing PDs than non-T1DM individuals. Our results further showed that the number of T1DM interventions; that is, annual emergency visits and hospitalizations were associated with increased the risk of developing PDs.

Endocrine and haemodynamic changes in resistant hypertension, and blood pressure responses to spironolactone or amiloride: the PATHWAY-2 mechanisms substudies

BACKGROUND

In the PATHWAY-2 study of resistant hypertension, spironolactone reduced blood pressure substantially more than conventional antihypertensive drugs. We did three substudies to assess the mechanisms underlying this superiority and the pathogenesis of resistant hypertension.

METHODS

PATHWAY-2 was a randomised, double-blind crossover trial done at 14 UK primary and secondary care sites in 314 patients with resistant hypertension. Patients were given 12 weeks of once daily treatment with each of placebo, spironolactone 25-50 mg, bisoprolol 5-10 mg, and doxazosin 4-8 mg and the change in home systolic blood pressure was assessed as the primary outcome. In our three substudies, we assessed plasma aldosterone, renin, and aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) as predictors of home systolic blood pressure, and estimated prevalence of primary aldosteronism (substudy 1); assessed the effects of each drug in terms of thoracic fluid index, cardiac index, stroke index, and systemic vascular resistance at seven sites with haemodynamic monitoring facilities (substudy 2); and assessed the effect of amiloride 10-20 mg once daily on clinic systolic blood pressure during an optional 6-12 week open-label runout phase (substudy 3). The PATHWAY-2 trial is registered with EudraCT, number 2008-007149-30, and ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02369081.

FINDINGS

Of the 314 patients in PATHWAY-2, 269 participated in one or more of the three substudies: 126 in substudy 1, 226 in substudy 2, and 146 in substudy 3. Home systolic blood pressure reduction by spironolactone was predicted by ARR (r²=0·13, p<0·0001) and plasma renin (r²=0·11, p=0·00024). 42 patients had low renin concentrations (predefined as the lowest tertile of plasma renin), of which 31 had a plasma aldosterone concentration greater than the mean value for all 126 patients (250 pmol/L). Thus, 31 (25% [95% CI 17-33]) of 126 patients were deemed to have inappropriately high aldosterone concentrations. Thoracic fluid content was reduced by 6·8% from baseline (95% CI 4·0 to 8·8; p<0·0001) with spironolactone, but not other treatments. Amiloride (10 mg once daily) reduced clinic systolic blood pressure by 20·4 mm Hg (95% CI 18·3-22·5), compared with a reduction of 18·3 mm Hg (16·2-20·5) with spironolactone (25 mg once daily). No serious adverse events were recorded, and adverse symptoms were not systematically recorded after the end of the double-blind treatment. Mean plasma potassium concentrations increased from 4·02 mmol/L (95% CI 3·95-4·08) on placebo to 4·50 (4·44-4·57) on amiloride (p<0·0001).

INTERPRETATION

Our results suggest that resistant hypertension is commonly a salt-retaining state, most likely due to inappropriate aldosterone secretion. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade by spironolactone overcomes the salt retention and resistance of hypertension to treatment. Amiloride seems to be as effective an antihypertensive as spironolactone, offering a substitute treatment for resistant hypertension.

FUNDING

British Heart Foundation and UK National Institute for Health Research.