Three common medicines classified as carcinogenic by WHO cancer agency
Doctors say patients should not stop medical treatment that used the medicines to treat high blood pressure, fungal infections, and organ transplant rejection; WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has placed hydrochlorothiazide, voriconazole and tacrolimus in Group 1 of the IARC Monographs
Three commonly prescribed medicines, including hydrochlorothiazide for hypertension, voriconazole for fungal infections, and tacrolimus for organ transplant rejection, have been classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organisation (WHO) cancer research agency.
While the classification serves as a hazard identification, it should not prompt patients to discontinue their treatment without consulting their doctors. The assessment, published in the IARC Monographs, confirms that hydrochlorothiazide causes squamous cell skin carcinoma and lip cancer due to phototoxicity, increasing skin sensitivity to UV radiation.
Voriconazole is linked to squamous cell skin carcinoma in transplant recipients through the same mechanism, and tacrolimus is associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, as well as potentially leukaemia and skin carcinoma due to immunosuppression. Experts emphasize the relevance of the IARC classification, particularly in India, where these drugs are commonly used and inappropriate prescribing practices remain a challenge.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu Health's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
