A common group of blood pressure drugs may slightly increase the risk of cancer, new research suggests.
Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, US, found that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were associated with a 'modestly' increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer.
In one study, they looked at deaths among 93,515 patients who had taken part in eight clinical trials.
They found that 7.2 per cent of those taking an ARB called telmisartan had been diagnosed with a new cancer during the four-year study period, compared with just six per cent of those who had not used the drug.
However, their report in the Lancet Oncology medical journal noted that the 1.2 per cent increase in cancer risk 'needs to be interpreted in view of the estimated 41 per cent background lifetime cancer risk'.
Judy O'Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said that the findings were inconclusive.
She advised: 'Anyone taking ARBs to treat their heart disease, or risk of developing it, shouldn't stop based on this alone.'