Question- What is the long-term risk for the development of breast cancer in individuals taking calcium channel blockers?
Answer- The cited article reports “Controversy exists regarding the potential association between taking calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and the development of breast cancer. ……..There are credible study data showing an increased relative risk with long-term use of CCBs, but the results of our meta-analysis and of meta-regression of log relative risk against minimum follow-up time are mixed. The current summative evidence does not support a clear association between taking CCBs and developing breast cancer. However, uncertainty remains, especially for long-term use and any association might not be uniform between different populations and/or breast cancer sub-types. We thus recommend further NRS in settings where CCB use is highly prevalent and population-based cancer, prescription and health-registries exist, to resolve this continuing uncertainty.” (Wright CM et al. Calcium channel blockers and breast cancer incidence: An updated systematic review and meta analysis of the evidence. 2017 Cancer Epi 50(pt A): 113-124.)