Hydrochlorothiazide Linked To Increased Skin Cancer Risk In Older Australians

Sydeney, 4 Aug 2020:

Hydrochlorothiazide – one of the most prescribed high blood pressure drugs in Australia – has shown links to increased risks of developing skin cancer among older Australians, a new study by UNSW Sydney researchers shows.

The drug contains photosynthesising properties, which can make skin more sensitive to the sun.

The findings are based on a big data analysis of skin cancer rates in a case-control study among older Australians. The results, published in Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, support similar findings from previous international studies.

“We found increased risk for developing malignant melanoma and squamous cell cancer of the lip (lip cancer) with hydrochlorothiazide use,” says Dr Benjamin Daniels, lead author of the study and research fellow at UNSW Medicine’s Centre for Big Data Research in Health (CBDRH). A pharmacoepidemiologist, Dr Daniels studies the use and effects of drugs in specific population groups.

“For lip cancer, the risk also appears to be cumulative – that is, the longer that hydrochlorothiazide is used, the higher the risk of developing lip cancer.” Medical Xpress