Angiotensin receptor blockers and the risk of cancer: data mining of a spontaneous reporting database and a claims database

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and the risk of 10 major cancers by employing different pharmacoepidemiological assessments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the first quarter of 2004 through 2012 were downloaded from the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The reporting odds ratio (ROR) and information component (IC) were used to detect the signals. Furthermore, symmetry analysis was applied to the claims database to identify the risk of cancer after using ARBs from January 2005 to July 2013. RESULTS: Significant inverse associations were found for all cancer types assessed as a whole (ROR: 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75 - 0.80; IC: -0.36, 95% CI: -0.40 to -0.31) in the analyses of FAERS database. Likewise, significant inverse association was found for all cancer types assessed as a whole (adjusted sequence ratio: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.82 - 0.96) in claims database. In addition, a significantly decreased risk for breast cancer and increased risks for pancreatic and prostate cancer were found in patients treated with ARBs in the analyses of individual cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Significant inverse association was found between ARB use and all cancer types assessed as a whole. However, in the analyses of individual cancers, the risks of ARB-induced cancer may differ according to cancer site. It may be reasonable to assume that the risks of ARB-induced cancer may differ according to cancer site. .