The Use of Calcium Channel Blockers and Risk of the Breast Cancer

Hypertension is one of the most common diseases responsible for death. There are five classes of medication for the treatment of hypertension, including those which have increasing prescription ratings year after year; angiotensin receptors blockers (ARBs) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs). Like all medications, CCBs were questioned about their long-term effects. Due to the important role of calcium (Ca2+) in cell physiology and apoptosis, investigators started to follow up patients using CCBs for cancers, especially breast cancer. Theories were consistent about the blockade of cytoplasmic Ca2+ and failure of apoptosis. There have been a lot of studies (cohorts, case-control and observational studies) in this area. Studies with a small sample size and short-term follow-up reported that the use of CCBs increases the risk of cancer, whereas larger studies and meta-analyses were in favor of CCBs. In conclusion, CCBs are very important agents in hypertension, arrhythmia and angina treatment. In theory, they may seem to inhibit apoptosis and increase cancer growth but with the right consideration of patients’ characteristics, time of use and age of the patient at the onset of the treatment, they are considered safe and efficient drugs unless studies with larger sample size and long-term follow-up claim opposite.

Keywords: Angiotensin receptors blockers, calcium channel blockers, breast cancer, apoptosis, hypertension, arrhythmia, angina treatment.