Repurposing hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) for colorectal cancer: a retrospective and single center study

Bibliographic Details
Title: Repurposing hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) for colorectal cancer: a retrospective and single center study
Authors: Dominic Chi-Chung Foo, Jiaxi Li, Zheng Huang, Siming Sui, Ryan Wai-Yan Sin, Abraham Tak Ka Man, Wai-Lun Law, Lui Ng
Source: Frontiers in Pharmacology, Vol 16 (2025)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Collection: LCC:Therapeutics. Pharmacology
Subject Terms: colorectal cancer, drug repurposing, antihypertensive drugs, hydrochlorothiazide, basophil, prognosis, Therapeutics. Pharmacology, RM1-950
More Details: BackgroundAnti-hypertensive drugs have been reported to demonstrate anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects. This study aims to investigate the association between anti-hypertensive drugs and the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.MethodsClinical data of 1134 CRC patients with hypertensions and the prescription of anti-hypertensive drugs who had undergone curative surgery in our hospital between 2005 and 2015 were retrieved. Their survival data and immune cell population in circulatory blood were compared among different types of anti-hypertensive drugs and overall CRC patients.ResultsThe 5-year overall survival for the antihypertensives-treated patients (65.2%) was higher than the CRC patients in Hong Kong (58.2%). Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) group showed the best prognosis (79.1%) among different antihypertensive drug, particularly for advance stage or elderly patients, which are poor prognostic factors for overall CRC patients, demonstrated an obviously improved prognosis upon HCTZ treatment. Moreover, our data showed the recurrence rate was significantly lower for HCTZ group (18.3%) compared to non-HCTZ group (26.8%) and the reported rate (31%) of CRC patients in Hong Kong. Finally, patients with a lower pre-operative basophil level showed better overall and disease-free survival following HCTZ treatment.ConclusionThis study demonstrated the association of HCTZ treatment with a better prognosis of CRC patients.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1663-9812
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1449062/full; https://doaj.org/toc/1663-9812
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1449062
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/168d2a2c73cd45fca30093685e848fc3
Accession Number: edsdoj.168d2a2c73cd45fca30093685e848fc3
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:16639812
DOI:10.3389/fphar.2025.1449062
Published in:Frontiers in Pharmacology
Language:English