Genetically proxied therapeutic effect of antihypertensive drug use, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer's risk: a drug-target Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND

Observational studies have explored the association between antihypertensive drugs and the risk of breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC). However, some controversy persists.

OBJECTIVE

Our study aims to investigate the causal relationship between genetic proxies for antihypertensive drugs and breast and ovarian cancers using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

METHODS

Analyses were primarily conducted using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method, with heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy tests, as well as sensitivity analysis, to assess the robustness of the results and the strength of the causal relationship.

RESULTS

Using the Bonferroni-corrected P-value as the threshold for testing causality (P < 0.0025), the MR analysis of systolic blood pressure as a biomarker in subset (A) (OR = 1.059, 95% CI: 1.024-1.096, P = 9.581 × 10) and subset (B) (OR = 1.000, 95% CI: 1.000-1.001, P = 6.726 × 10) both found that genetically predicted calcium channel blockers (CCBs) increased the risk of ovarian cancer. The same result was found only in subset (B) in the MR analysis of diastolic blood pressure as a biomarker (OR = 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000-1.001, P = 3.465 × 10), while subset (A) showed a suggestive association between CCBs and the risk of ovarian cancer development (OR = 1.088, 95% CI: 1.027-1.153, P = 0.004). Neither heterogeneity nor horizontal pleiotropy was detected, and no evidence of an association between other antihypertensive drugs and breast or ovarian cancer was found.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides genetic evidence that CCBs increase the risk of OC, offering insight into the potential risks of pharmacological treatment with CCBs.