ACE inhibitors and breast cancer risk

ACE inhibitors and breast cancer risk

Researchers at UCLA and Kaiser Permanente in northern California recently published data suggesting that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) may increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence in breast cancer survivors. Using a database of nearly 1800 women with a history of breast cancer, there were 292 recurrences, 174 breast cancer deaths, and 323 total deaths. Twenty-three percent of the women in the study were exposed to either a beta-blocker or an ACEi. ACEi exposure was associated with breast cancer recurrence 1.5 times baseline (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.02-2.39, P = 0.04) but not increased cause-specific or overall mortality. Beta-blocker exposure was associated with lower hazard of recurrence and cause-specific mortality. There was no dose-response with either medication. When a beta-blocker was combined with an ACEi, there was a lower hazard ratio for recurrence than with ACEi alone. The authors suggest that ACEis may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence; although beta-blockers may be somewhat protective, more research is needed (Breast Cancer Res Treat, published online, DOI: 1007/s10549-011-1503-3). Beta-blockers have been shown to be protective against breast cancer recurrence in other studies, but the ACEi findings were unexpected.