A new study conducted by Curtin University will examine the link between long-term use of common blood pressure pills and the risks of getting breast cancer.
“The use of calcium channel blockers may increase the risk of cancer because of their role in changing intracellular calcium levels, and breast tissue may be particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of changing intracellular calcium due to its secretary role.”
Changes in calcium influx and signalling are often observed in breast cancer cells; blockers for specific types of calcium channels are found to be more potent at stopping breast cancer proliferation than normal breast cells, and researchers have observed some calcium channels to be overexpressed in certain forms of breast cancer.
Whilst an association between calcium signalling and breast cancer exists, research on the link between CCBs and breast cancer has been mixed.
Prof. Moorin said the study would have significant implications for Australian women.
The team will examine three previous Australian and Dutch longitudinal cohorts and expects to take three years to complete the study.
“With an estimated 48 women diagnosed each day, breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia in 2019 and the most common in women, with one in seven Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 85,” Moorin said.
The study will be given $1 million in funding from the federal government’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Grants and will examine the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, the 45 and Up Study data from the Department of Human Services database and The Rotterdam Study from The Netherlands.