Diuretic therapy and the risk for renal cell carcinoma

Diuretics are important drugs in the treatment of arterial hypertension, co ngestive heart failure, the nephrotic syndrome, and other clinical conditio ns, With diuretic treatment, reduction of both morbidity and mortality has been clearly shown in those conditions. However, a recent meta-analysis sho wed an increased risk for renal cell carcinoma in patients treated with diu retics, We summarize and critically review data from studies examining the association between diuretic use and renal cell carcinoma, In general, in m any clinical conditions, the reduction of mortality with diuretic therapy o utweighs a potential risk of renal cell carcinoma, However, in certain cond itions, alternative medical treatment should be considered.