Abstract
Introduction: Traditional cancer treatments remain woefully inadequate to address and manage the increasingly complex manifestations of the disease and its insidious sequelae. While chemotherapy and surgical procedures might still be mainstays of cancer treatment, novel therapies based on existing medications should be explored if these show promise to improve cancer progression. The class of drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system have shown promise to stem the proliferation of malignant cells and their resulting neoplasms. Methods: Using the PubMed database, a keyword search, using terms related to the topic, produced several articles that presented studies related to the potential secondary benefits of antihypertensive drugs on cancer cell proliferation. Results: Five articles presented compelling evidence that the different types of hypertension medications could confer protection against multiplying cancer cells. Only one article mentioned the possible cancer promoting effects of such medications, but this was only in the context of treating hypertensive geriatric patients and their other age-related disorders. Conclusion: Antihypertensive drugs, particularly those that inhibit the angiotensin converting enzymes, have shown promise to shunt normal cancer metabolic pathways and shut down key processes necessary for malignant cell proliferation. Based on this research, these drugs present promise for adjuvant cancer treatment and disease management.