The role of H1 antihistamines in contralateral breast cancer: a Danish nationwide cohort study

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Annet Bens, Danish Cancer Society; Christian Dehlendorff, Danish Cancer Society; Søren Friis, Danish Cancer Society; Deidre Cronin-Fenton, Aarhus University Hospital; Maj-Britt Jensen, Rigshospitalet; Bent Ejlertsen, Rigshospitalet; Timothy Lash, Emory University; Niels Kroman, Herlev Hospital; Lene Mellemkjaer, Danish Cancer Society
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-02-17
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Cancer Research UK 2020
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41416-020-0747-4
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: British Journal of Cancer
• Volume: 122
• Issue: 7
• Start Page: 1102
• End Page: 1108
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the Danish Research Council for Independent Research [grant number 11-108395].
• Keywords: Histamine; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Oncology; Growth; Science & Technology; Terfenadine; Apoptosis
• Research Categories: Biology, Virology; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Oncology; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Background: Preclinical studies have shown both pro- and antineoplastic effects of antihistamines. Here, we evaluated the effect of H1 antihistamines on contralateral breast cancer (CBC) risk, and whether cationic amphiphilic (CAD) antihistamines could increase the sensitivity to chemotherapy. Methods: From the Danish Breast Cancer Group clinical database, we identified all women aged ≥20 years with a first-time diagnosis of breast cancer during 1996–2012. Information on drug use, CBC and potential confounding factors was retrieved from nationwide registries. Using Cox proportional hazard regression models, we calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CBC associated with H1-antihistamine use. Results: We identified 52,723 patients with breast cancer with a total of 310,583 person-years of follow-up. Among them, 1444 patients developed a new primary tumour in the contralateral breast. Post-diagnosis use of H1 antihistamines (≥2 prescriptions) was not strongly associated with CBC risk (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 0.90–1.31) compared with non-use (<2 prescriptions). Use of CAD antihistamines among patients receiving chemotherapy was not associated with a decrease in CBC risk. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings do not suggest any association of H1-antihistamine use with CBC development.