Diuretics renal cell carcinoma

The relation between diuretic therapy and the risk of malignancies has been examined in a review of pertinent publications between 1966 and 1998 (134). In nine case control studies (4185 cases), the odds ratio for renal cell carcinoma in patients treated with diuretics was 1.55 (95% Cl = 1.42, 1.71) compared with non-users of diuretics. In three cohort studies of 1226229 patients (802 cases), patients taking diuretics had a more than twofold risk of renal cell carcinoma compared with patients not taking diuretics. Women had an odds ratio of 2.01 (Cl = 1.56, 1.67) compared with 1.96 (Cl = 1.34, 2.13) in men. Thus, the cumulative evidence suggests that longterm use of diuretics may be associated with renal cell carcinoma. 

The findings linking diuretic therapy with renal cell carcinoma need careful scrutiny. The strength of evidence provided by observational studies is hmited, and such studies have yielded contradictory and controversial results in the past. An accompanying editorial (135)... 

Schmieder RE, Delles C, Messerli FH. Diuretic therapy and the risk for renal cell carcinoma. J Nephrol 2000 13(5) 343-6. 

Grossman E, Messerli FH, Goldbourt U. Does diuretic therapy increase the risk of renal cell carcinoma Am J Cardiol 1999 83(7) 1090-3. 

Yu, M.C., Mack, T.M., Hanisch, R., Cicioni, C., and Henderson, B.E., Cigarette smoking, obesity, diuretic use, and coffee consumption as risk factors for renal cell carcinoma, J. Natl. Cancer Inst, 77,351-356, 1986. 

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