Angiotensin II receptor blockers and oral squamous cell carcinoma survival: A propensity-score-matched cohort study

Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) improve the survival rates of patients with various cancers. However, it remains unclear whether ARBs confer a survival benefit on patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Here, we assessed the associations between ARB use and survival in patients with OSCC of different stages.

This was a 10-year retrospective cohort study of OSCC patients. We enrolled 7,558 patients diagnosed with oral cancer between January 2007 and December 2017 whose details had been entered into the Chang Gung Research Database. Seven hundred and fourteen patients were recruited from the Chang Gung Research Database after performing 1:1 propensity score-matching between ARB users and non-users. Cox's regression models with adjusted covariates were employed to detect factors influencing the survival rates of patients with OSCC.

Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the overall survival (OS) rate of 180-day ARB users increased (p = 0.038). Cox's regression models indicated that ARB use, younger patients, early-stage OSCC, and patients without diabetes mellitus were independently prognostic of improved OS. Increased OS was more prominent in 180-day ARB users in stage III, Iva, and IVb categories.

ARB use for more than 180 days is associated with an increased survival rate and is a positive, independent prognostic factor in patients with OSCC. A further two-arm study should be conducted to confirm the clinical usefulness of ARBs in OSCC patients.