loading page

Hydrochlorothiazide Use and Risk of Skin Cancer: A Population-based Retrospective Cohort Study
  • +7
  • Avery Shuei-He Yang,
  • Leila Djebarri,
  • Chaw Ning,
  • Denis Granados,
  • Mohamed Abdel Moneim,
  • Shih-Chieh Shao,
  • Swu-Jane Lin,
  • Tzu-Chi Liao,
  • Hung-Wei Lin,
  • Edward Chia-Cheng Lai
Avery Shuei-He Yang
National Cheng Kung University Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Author Profile
Leila Djebarri
Sanofi-Aventis France SA Ambares
Author Profile
Chaw Ning
National Cheng Kung University Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Author Profile
Denis Granados
Sanofi-Aventis France SA Ambares
Author Profile
Mohamed Abdel Moneim
Sanofi United Arab Emirates
Author Profile
Shih-Chieh Shao
National Cheng Kung University Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Author Profile
Swu-Jane Lin
University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine
Author Profile
Tzu-Chi Liao
National Cheng Kung University Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Author Profile
Hung-Wei Lin
IQVIA Taiwan
Author Profile
Edward Chia-Cheng Lai
National Cheng Kung University Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Corresponding Author:edward_lai@mail.ncku.edu.tw

Author Profile

Abstract

Purpose Exposure of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) has been linked to the increase of skin cancer in the Caucasian population, especially for the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) but not for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). This study aimed to evaluate the risks of skin cancer between patients receiving HCTZ and those receiving other antihypertensives. Methods This retrospective cohort study was derived from the National Health Insurance Database in Taiwan. We enrolled patients aged 20 years and older who newly receiving antihypertensive medications between 2004 - 2015. We calculated the medication possession ratio (MPR) of the first two years of treatment for patient enrollment and treatment classification, in which patients with MPR above 80% were enrolled and patients were subsequently categorized into receiving HCTZ, other thiazide diuretics, non-thiazide diuretics, and non-diuretic antihypertensives. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the risk of skin cancer, and further divided into SCC, and BCC. Results Our study enrolled 41,086, 27,402, 19,613, and 856,782 patients receiving HCTZ, other thiazide diuretics, non-thiazide diuretics, and non-diuretic antihypertensives, respectively. We found BCC risks were similar when comparing HCTZ with other thiazides (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.84; 95% CI: 0.54-1.33), non-thiazide diuretics (0.93; 0.51-1.67), and non-diuretic antihypertensives (0.91; 0.66-1.26). Higher SCC risk was observed in the HCTZ group, compared to other thiazide (1.24; 0.74-2.08), non-thiazide diuretics (1.32; 0.70- 2.51), and non-diuretic antihypertensives (1.23; 0.87-1.73), although the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions We conclude that skin cancer need not be of major concern to physicians when prescribing antihypertensives for an Asian population.
09 Oct 2023Submitted to Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
09 Oct 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Oct 2023Submission Checks Completed
09 Oct 2023Assigned to Editor
21 Oct 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
25 Apr 2024Assigned to Editor
25 Apr 2024Submission Checks Completed
25 Apr 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
21 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
12 Sep 20242nd Revision Received
12 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
12 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
12 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
16 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Accept