title: Calcium channel blockers and the risk of cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent epidemiologic studies have raised the concern that calcium channel blocker use may increase the risk of cancer overall and of several specific cancers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether calcium channel blocker use increases the risk of cancer overall and of specific cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control drug surveillance study based on data collected from 1983 to 1996.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospitals in Baltimore, Md, New York, NY, and Philadelphia, Pa.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 9513 patients aged 40 to 69 years with incident cancer of various sites and 6492 controls aged 40 to 69 years admitted for nonmalignant conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incident cancer overall and 23 specific cancers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Calcium channel blocker use was unrelated to the risk of cancer overall (relative risk [RR], 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9-1.3). Use was not significantly associated with increased risks of individual cancers, including those previously implicated, except cancer of the kidney (RR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1 -2.7). Recent use, use for 5 or more years, and use of individual calcium channel blocker drugs were also not associated with cancer incidence. Use of beta-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was generally unrelated to cancer overall or individual cancers, but both were associated with kidney cancer (RR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.5; and RR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.0, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that the use of calcium channel blockers is unrelated to an increase in the overall risk of cancer or of individual cancers, except kidney cancer, which has been associated with hypertension or drugs to treat hypertension in previous studies.
authors.affiliation: Slone Epidemiology Unit, School of Public Health, Boston University School of Medicine, Brookline, Mass 02146, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Strom
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Stolley
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Zauber
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Warshauer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shapiro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers