Common blood pressure pill could make certain cancer treatments more powerful

An inexpensive blood pressure drug could improve the health of cancer patients, according to a recent preclinical study.

The drug, telmisartan, is FDA-approved to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and to reduce heart attack and stroke risk in certain patients.

But the medication has also been found to improve the effectiveness of a cancer treatment called olaparib, which could help more types of patients benefit from it. 

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In laboratory and animal models, researchers at Dartmouth Health in New Hampshire found that the telmisartan causes more damage to cancer cells’ DNA, thus helping the immune system recognize and attack certain types of tumors.

“This study shows that a common, safe, tolerable, convenient and inexpensive drug may significantly improve how well an important class of cancer therapies works,” said lead study author Tyler J. Curiel, MD, a clinical researcher at Dartmouth, in the release.

The pair of medications increased the production of type I interferons, which are molecules that help the immune system recognize and attack cancer, according to the study’s press release.

“This immune activation appears to be a key reason the combination works so well,” Curiel said.

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Telmisartan was also linked to reduced levels of PD-L1, a protein in tumor cells that helps to escape immune attack.

Other types of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) – which is the class of medications in which telmisartan is grouped – did not have the same anti-cancer properties.

“Telmisartan has several distinct anti-cancer effects that, together with targeted therapy, could make tumors more responsive to distinct types of treatments,” Curiel said.

“We showed the improved efficacy with PARP inhibitors in this study, but we also have good data showing that telmisartan improves efficacy of distinct chemotherapy classes and immunotherapies in many other cancer types through related mechanisms.”

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The findings were published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

Joshua G. Cohen, MD., the medical director of the Gynecologic Cancer Program at City of Hope Orange County in Irvine, California, was not involved in the study but shared his reaction to the outcome.

“While there were past concerns that ARBs might increase cancer risk, large studies have shown they do not, and are considered safe for patients who need them,” he told Fox News Digital.

Study limitations

The main limitation of the study is that it relied on laboratory models and did not include any human patients.

“At this stage, the idea is still very early in development, and the evidence comes primarily from laboratory studies, not studies in people,” Cohen told Fox News Digital.

While telmisartan was shown to be effective against tumors with damaged DNA, they may not work as well for cancers that don’t have these defects, the researchers found. Most cancers may also develop a resistance to olaparib over time, leading it to become less effective.

No long-term outcomes or survival data are available yet.

“Much more research – including clinical trials – is needed to determine whether combining telmisartan with PARP inhibitors is safe or effective for treating ovarian cancer,” Cohen said.

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“Patients considering these medications together should speak with their cancer care team, who can help them understand what is known, what remains uncertain and what is safest for their individual situation.”

Looking ahead

The researchers at Dartmouth are currently testing telmisartan’s effect on patients in two clinical trials.

One of the studies is testing the drug combination in men with advanced prostate cancer that has stopped responding to hormone therapy. A second study, focused on ovarian cancer that no longer responds to platinum-based chemotherapy, has just begun enrolling patients, the researchers shared.

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“We are encouraged by what we are seeing so far,” Curiel said. “Our goal is to determine whether this combination approach can help more patients benefit from greater effectiveness of PARP inhibitors and other cancer treatment classes and potentially overcome resistance to these drugs.”

Telmisartan is described as generally safe and well-tolerated based on prior clinical use, the researchers noted.