Lung Cancer Risk with ACE Inhibitors

Angiotensin-converting–enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use results in accumulation of bradykinin and substance P in the lung, which is associated with lung cancer growth and proliferation. In this population-based cohort study, researchers used a U.K. database to determine whether ACE inhibitors are associated with greater risk for lung cancer than are angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), which do not cause accumulation of bradykinin or substance P in the lung.

Nearly 1 million adult patients were newly treated with antihypertensive drugs from 1995 to 2015. During a mean 6-year follow-up, 8000 incident lung cancers were identified. ACE inhibitors were associated with greater risk for lung cancer than were ARBs (1.6 vs. 1.2 per 1000 person-years); af…