Cancer risk and mortality in users of calcium channel blockers - A cohort study

BACKGROUND. Data regarding the association between the use of calcium chann el blockers and cancer risk have been conflicting. In the current study, th e authors examined the cancer risk and mortality in users of calcium channe l blockers in North Jutland County, Denmark. METHODS, The authors conducted a cohort study using record linkage between a population-based prescription database, the Danish Cancer Registry, and t he Danish Death Registry including 23,167 users of calcium channel blockers who received greater than or equal to 2 prescriptions between January 1, 1 989 and December 31, 1995. The authors calculated the standardized incidenc e ratios and standard mortality ratios for cancer, along with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS. Overall, 967 incident cases of cancer occurred, resulting in a sta ndardized incidence ratio of 1.04 (95% CI, 0.98-1.11). There was a slightly elevated nonsignificant risk of tobacco-related cancer. No increased risk of breast or colon carcinoma was observed. The cancer mortality was close t o that expected in the background population (standardized mortality ratio of 0.97; 95% CI, 0.89-1.04). CONCLUSIONS. This large-scale, population-based cohort study adds to the in creasing evidence indicating no substantial association between the use of calcium channel blockers and the incidence rate of cancer or cancer mortali ty. (C) 2000 American Cancer Society.