Cheap blood pressure drugs taken by thousands of people could increase survival chances for men with prostate cancer, research suggests.
A study of nearly 8,300 men with prostate cancer found that a particular class of blood pressure pills cuts the chance of an early death by up to 42 per cent.
Other types of blood pressure drugs, on the other hand, may actually increase the risk of death.
Certain types of blood pressure medication – angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) – improve prostate cancer survival rates, according to research (stock image)
The researchers – presenting their findings at the European Association of Urology Conference in Barcelona – said the findings are crucial because four fifths of men with prostate cancer are also on blood pressure medication.
So it is vital that doctors select a type of pill that could extend their life, rather than potentially shorten it.
The researchers, from the University of Tampere in Finland, tracked 8,253 men with prostate cancer for seven and a half years after they were diagnosed.
Most of the men, who had an average age of 68 at the start of the study, also happened to be taking pills for high blood pressure.
The researchers compared the type of blood pressure medication with the participants’ death rates, and found they varied significantly depending on the class of the drug.
Those who were taking angiotensin II receptor blockers (known as ARBs) – which include common pills such as Valsartan and Losartan – had the lowest chance of death during the study period.
Men who been taking the pills before they were diagnosed had a 30 per cent lower chance of dying from their prostate cancer than those who were taking no blood pressure medication, and those who started taking them after diagnosis had a 42 per cent reduced risk.
ACE-inhibitors – another common drug – also seemed to have a protective effect, with an 18 per cent lower death risk if they started on the pills after diagnosis.
But other treatments, such as diuretics, seemed to increase the risk of mortality by up to 161 per cent.
Angiotensin II receptor blockers – which cost as little as 70p a day – have been used for blood pressure for more than 30 years and come with few side effects.
Researcher Professor Teemu Murtola said the method by which Valsartan and similar treatments lower blood pressure may slow the growth of prostate tumours.
Other drugs work in different ways, so may not have the same effect.
He said he doubts any blood pressure drugs actually increase the risk of death by themselves – it may just be that men on those drugs are at greater risk because they have underlying heart problems which make them more vulnerable to cancer.
But he stressed that with so many prostate cancer patients taking blood pressure pills, the choice of treatment could make a big difference.
‘Up to 80 per cent of men in our study population had at least one prescription for antihypertensive drugs, demonstrating how common the usage is among men with prostate cancer,’ Professor Murtola said.
‘Therefore, it is essential to know their potential impact on cancer prognosis.
‘Of course other studies are needed to confirm these results – but there could be real benefits to selecting certain medication rather than others. It is definitely worth studying further.’
High blood pressure – known by the medical name of hypertension – affects one in three adults, more than 17million of the British population.
There are many several classes of hypertension medication – with little to choose between them in terms of price or side effects – and often patients cycle through several different drugs to find the most effective one.
The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate deaths through better treatments and earlier diagnosis.
Some 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK each year – and 11,600 men die as a result.
Last year official figures revealed rising prostate cancer deaths saw it become a bigger killer than breast cancer for the first time.
Simon Grieveson of Prostate Cancer UK, said: ‘This research suggests that different blood pressure medications may have differing effects on outcomes for men with prostate cancer, with some, such as angiotensin receptor blockers, possibly even helping to extend life.
‘However, whilst these are certainly interesting findings, the number of men included to investigate the effects of ARBs on prostate cancer mortality was rather small, and so further research is needed with larger numbers of men to see if this really leads to better survival, and if so, how the drug might cause this effect.
‘Blood pressure medicines can be very effective, and we certainly wouldn’t suggest that men change or stop taking their prescriptions as a result of this research.’