High blood pressure linked to cancer risk

High blood pressure is linked to an increased risk of developing and dying from cancer, a large European study suggests.

Researchers at King's College in London found that higher than normal blood pressure was linked to a 10 to 20 per cent higher risk of developing cancer in men, and a higher risk of dying from the disease in both men and women.

The researchers reached their conclusion after analysing data on blood pressure and cancer incidence and death in a study involving 289,454 men and 288,345 women in Norway, Austria and Sweden.

The participants' mid-blood pressure measurements were tracked for an average of 12 years, and compared with cancer occurrence and death due to the disease.

After around 12 years 22,184 men and 14,744 women were diagnosed with cancer, and 8,724 men and 4,525 women died from the disease.

The overall risk of developing any cancer increased by 29 per cent, between the bottom fifth of men with the lowest blood pressure readings and the top fifth of the men with the highest.

The researchers also found that the risk of oral, colorectal, lung, bladder, and kidney cancers, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers rose in men as blood pressure rose.

In women, increased blood pressure was not statistically significantly associated with the overall risk of developing any cancer, but was linked with an increased risk of cancers of the liver, pancreas, cervix and endometrium and melanoma.

In both men and women, there was also an increased risk of dying from cancer.

The top fifth of men with the highest blood pressure had a 49 per cent increased risk of dying compared to those bottom fifth of men with the lowest blood pressure.

The top fifth of women with the highest blood pressure had a 24 per cent increased risk compared to those in the bottom fifth with the lowest.

The researchers said the findings were true, after age, sex, body mass index, smoking and other factors which may influence the results had been taken into account.

Cancer epidemiologist Dr Mieke Van Hemelrijck, who led the study, said: "Our study shows that blood pressure is a risk factor for incident cancer in men and fatal cancer in men and women.

"Although the relative and absolute risk estimates were rather modest, these results are important from a public health perspective since a large proportion of the population in many western countries suffers from hypertension."

The study will be presented at the European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress in Stockholm.

This article was published on Tue 27 September 2011