Hydrochlorothiazide Is Associated with Modest Excess Risk for Melanoma

Hydrochlorothiazide use is associated with excess risk for lip and nonmelanoma skin cancers, especially squamous cell cancers. Investigators in Denmark explored whether hydrochlorothiazide also is associated with risk for melanoma. They identified 19,000 adults with melanoma and compared them with 193,000 age- and sex-matched controls without cancer (except nonmelanoma skin cancer).

High use of hydrochlorothiazide (>50,000 mg total lifetime exposure or ≈6 years of use at standard doses) occurred in significantly more melanoma patients than controls (2.1% vs. 1.8%; odds ratio, 1.22). The researchers noted a nonsignificant trend toward a dose-dependent relation between lifetime hydrochlorothiazide use and diagnosis of melanoma and a significan…