Association between 19 medication use and risk of common cancers - A cross-sectional and Mendelian randomisation study

Q: Which cancers and how many medications were investigated?

The study assessed four common cancers (breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate) and focused on associations related to 19 medications.

Q: How did the study evaluate observed associations and causality?

It used propensity score matching with survey-weighted multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses for observational correlations, and Mendelian randomisation using genome-wide association study summary data for causality.

Q: What was the main finding for prostate cancer?

Use of agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system was associated with reduced prostate cancer risk, supported by primary and replication MR analyses and additional sensitivity/verification analyses.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Finn

Background Previous studies have shown inconsistent results on how drug use affects cancer risk. This study used a large-scale cross-sectional design and a two-sample Mendelian randomisation approach to assess the causal effect of 19 medications on four common cancers: breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate. Methods National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data were analyzed with propensity score matching and multivariate models, alongside Mendelian randomisation using genome-wide association summary data. Results Renin-angiotensin system agents related to reduced prostate cancer risk with supporting sensitivity, replication, and reverse analyses. Conclusions The findings support a protective effect of renin-angiotensin system drugs for prostate cancer prevention in patients with cardiovascular disease.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Electronic The online supplementary material: version of this article contains supplementary material. © 2024 The Author(s) Cite as: Yun Z, Shen Y, Yan X, Wang J, Teo CS, Zhao H, Xue C, Tian S, Dong Q, Hou L. Association between 19 medication use and risk of common cancers: A cross-sectional and Mendelian randomisation study. J Glob Health 2024;14:04057 . Association between 19 medication use and risk of common cancers: A cross-sectional and Mendelian randomisation study Zhangjun Yun1,2*, Yang Shen1*, Xiang Yan1,2, Shaodan Tian1, Jing Wang1, Chiah Shean Teo3, Hongbin Zhao1,2, Chengyuan Xue1,2, Qing Dong1†, Li Hou1† 1Department of Oncology and Haematology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China 2First School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China 3School of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia *Joint first authorship. †Joint senior authorship. Correspondence to: Li Hou Department of Oncology and Haematology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine No. 5 Haiyun Cang, Beijing China [houli1203@126.com](houli1203@126.com) Qing Dong Department of Oncology and Haematology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine No. 5 Haiyun Cang, Beijing China [drdong@tom.com](drdong@tom.com) Background Previous studies have yielded inconsistent results concerning drug use and the risk of cancers. We conducted a large-scale cross-sectional study anda two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) study to reveal the causal effect between the use of 19 medications and the risk of four common cancers (breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate) . Methods We obtained information on medication use and cancer diagnosis from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants. After propensity score matching, we conducted survey-weighted multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analysis to assess the observed correlation between medication use and cancer while adjusting for multiple covariates. We also performed MR analysis to investigate causality based on summary data from genome-wide association studies on medication use and cancers. We performed sensitivity analyses, replication analysis, genetic correlation analysis, and reverse MR analysis to improve the reliability of MR findings. Results We found that the use of agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 0 .42; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0 .27–0.63, P < 0 .001), and there was a nonlinear association of ‘decrease-to-increase-to-decrease’(P < 0 .0001) . The random-effects inverse variance weighted (IVW) model-based primary MR analysis (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0 .91–0.97, P = 0 .0007) and replication MR analysis (OR = 0 .90, 95% CI = 0 .85–0.96, P = 0 .0006) both provided robust evidence of the causality of genetic liability for the use of agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system on a decreased risk of prostate cancer. Conclusions Our study provides robust evidence that the use of drugs acting on the renin-angiotensin system can reduce prostate cancer risk. Given the high prevalence of prostate cancer, these findings have important implications for drugselection and prostate cancer prevention in patients with cardiovascular disease. According to the latest cancer statistics, an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer-related deaths occurred around the world in 2020 [1]. Breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer have become the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Cancer has been identified as the primary or secondary cause of mortality in individuals under the age of 70 years old in a total of 112 countries. Alarmingly, the global burden of cancer is expected to increase by approximately 50% over the next two decades [1]. Given the taxin

FAQs

Which cancers and how many medications were investigated?

The study assessed four common cancers (breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate) and focused on associations related to 19 medications.

How did the study evaluate observed associations and causality?

It used propensity score matching with survey-weighted multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses for observational correlations, and Mendelian randomisation using genome-wide association study summary data for causality.

What was the main finding for prostate cancer?

Use of agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system was associated with reduced prostate cancer risk, supported by primary and replication MR analyses and additional sensitivity/verification analyses.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Finn