PERIOCULAR HIGH RISK BCCS AFTER ADDITIONAL/PARALLEL INTAKE OF TORASEMIDE, MOXONIDINE AND MIRABEGRON: IMPORTANT LINKS

G Tchernev1, D Dimova2

  • 11Onkoderma - Clinic for Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatologic Surgery, Sofia; 2Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical Institute of Ministry of Interior, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Georgian Medical News
|April 12, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Drug contamination with nitrosamines is linked to skin cancer development, including basal cell carcinoma. This highlights a new cause of pharmaco-oncogenesis, emphasizing the need for regulatory oversight of drug safety and contaminant levels.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Dermatology
  • Pharmacology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Skin cancer, particularly melanoma and keratinocytic cancers like basal cell carcinoma (BCC), has complex etiologies.
  • The role of exogenous factors, including drug contaminants, in cancer development is an evolving area of research.
  • Previously known risk factors for BCC include UV radiation, immunodeficiency, and genetic syndromes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential causal link between nitrosamine-contaminated drugs and the development of skin cancers, specifically high-risk periocular BCC.
  • To present evidence supporting nitrosamine intake as a significant cofactor in skin cancer pathogenesis.
  • To highlight the photocarcinogenic and genotoxic potential of certain nitrosamines, especially when activated by UVA radiation.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective and prospective analyses of patients with polymedication and histories of potentially nitrosamine-contaminated drug intake.
  • Clinical case presentations of four patients who developed periocular BCC after or during the intake of suspect medications.
  • Review and synthesis of existing scientific data on nitrosamine carcinogenicity, drug contamination, and genetic mutations (p53, RAS).

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests a causal connection between nitrosamine-contaminated drug intake and keratinocytic skin cancer development, beyond sporadic association.
  • Four cases of high-risk periocular BCC are presented, temporally linked to the intake of drugs potentially contaminated with nitrosamines (e.g., valsartan, candesartan, bisoprolol, metoprolol, perindopril, lisinopril, amlodipine, torasemide, moxonidine, mirabegron).
  • Nitrosamines/N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) impurities in drugs are proposed as a significant, relatively short-term factor in skin cancer development and progression.
  • Overlapping mutation patterns in p53 and RAS oncogenes caused by UV radiation and certain nitrosamines suggest a synergistic genotoxic effect.

Conclusions:

  • Exogenously induced nitrosogenesis via contaminated drugs represents a novel and significant factor in the pathogenesis of skin cancer.
  • The lack of regulatory transparency regarding nitrosamine levels in medications is a critical issue impacting patient safety.
  • Pharmaco-oncogenesis, driven by nitrosamine contamination in widely used drugs, offers a new paradigm for understanding and potentially controlling skin cancer occurrence.

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