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Hypertension therapy for the oncology patient
Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Hypertension remains a highly prevalent disease associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure, and renal failure. A significant proportion of cancer patients also have elevated blood pressure, and certain therapies, such as bevacizumab, may exacerbate or even cause hypertension. Antihypertensive treatment has been shown to significantly reduce adverse outcomes. The main classes of antihypertensive medications include diuretics, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers, and calcium-channel blockers. Since these medications have all been found to be beneficial in reducing the risk of complications, drug therapy for an individual patient should be based on the mechanism of drug effect, possible drug interactions and side effects, and the presence of comorbidities (such as coronary artery disease) for which a certain class of medication may be particularly beneficial.
| Commun Oncol 2006;3:94–99 | full text |  123 kb |