Commonly prescribed heart medications, such as statins and diuretics, do not adversely affect survival in patients with multiple myeloma.
United Arab Emirates, Emirate of Sharjah, March 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Commonly prescribed cardiovascular drugs, such as statins, diuretics and blood pressure medications, appear to have little or no negative impact on the survival of people living with multiple myeloma, according to a new international study.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, reflects a collaboration between scientists and oncologists from the United States, Australia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-37464-4)
“Many patients with multiple myeloma require cardiovascular drugs. Our results support the idea that some common drug classes can often be continued without clear evidence of compromising survival outcomes in a clinical trial setting,” said Dr. Ahmad Abuherwa, Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics at the University of Sharjah and lead author of the study.
Multiple myeloma primarily affects adults, many of whom take medications for heart and blood vessel conditions, such as antihypertensive drugs, cholesterol-lowering therapy, and drugs used to manage heart rhythm disorders.
Despite the widespread use of these drugs, there is limited evidence on whether these drugs impact cancer progression, survival, or treatment-related side effects when patients receive modern myeloma treatments in large clinical trials.
To address this gap, researchers analyzed data from three major phase III clinical trials in multiple myeloma (MAIA, POLLUX, and CASTOR) involving a total of 1,804 patients. Researchers assessed whether participants who had already taken a widely used cardiovascular drug class at the start of treatment experienced differences in important outcomes, such as progression-free survival, overall survival, and rates of serious treatment-related adverse events.
“Overall, our results were reassuring, as most of the cardiovascular drug classes we studied were not associated with worse survival outcomes in these trials after adjusting for clinical factors,” explains Dr. Abuherwa.
Risks and benefits of cardiovascular drugs
Although a relatively rare disease, multiple myeloma is the second most common cancer among adults over age 65. Its incidence is estimated to be 1-2% of all cancers and 10% of hematologic malignancies. It is a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow from malignant plasma cells, which cause excessive and rapid accumulation of abnormal plasma cells.
In their study, the authors observed that the use of ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) was not only associated with longer progression-free survival, but also with higher rates of serious (grade 3 or higher) adverse events. These adverse signals include kidney-related and metabolic complications.
ACE inhibitors (short for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) and ARBs are two widely used classes of drugs, primarily prescribed for high blood pressure and heart and kidney protection.
In their analysis, the authors evaluated the effects of commonly used cardiovascular drugs in patients with multiple myeloma. These widely prescribed drugs used to manage high blood pressure, heart disease, and cholesterol include antihypertensives, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, diuretics, statins, and more.
Dr. Abuherwa called the results “good news for patients taking heart medications. In these large myeloma trials, people who are already taking many common heart and blood pressure medications do not appear to have worse overall survival outcomes.”
Among the drugs tested, ACE inhibitors/ARBs stood out, with patients taking these drugs showing signs of better disease control long before their myeloma progressed. However, these same patients had more severe side effects on average.
Still, Dr. Abuherwa strongly emphasized that this finding “should not be interpreted as a reason to automatically stop these drugs; it is a reason to monitor them more judiciously and study the problem more carefully. Cardiovascular drugs are part of real-world cancer treatment, not just a backdrop, and need to be studied systematically to improve safety.”
Cardiac drugs, survival and cancer safety
Although these findings do not prove cause and effect, they do raise important practical questions about how clinicians can optimize cardiovascular supportive care while maintaining the safety of patients undergoing myeloma treatment.
Co-author Humaid Al Shamsi, professor of medical oncology at Harvard Medical School’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, noted that the study addresses a common real-world challenge that doctors face every day and, at this stage, has primarily attracted the attention of clinicians and oncologists.
“In clinics, patients often ask whether heart medications interfere with cancer treatment. Studies like this can help provide an evidence-based answer and identify where closer monitoring is needed,” said Professor Al Shamsi, consultant oncologist and CEO of Bourgère Cancer Institute in the United Arab Emirates. He also said the findings have potentially strong relevance for stakeholders outside of academia.
This study highlights the need for more systematic collection and analysis of concomitant medications in oncology trials and real-world registries. With better data, the authors argue, clinicians can more accurately predict adverse events and tailor supportive care to individual patients.
“The signals seen with ACE inhibitors/ARBs suggest that clinicians may want to pay close attention to safety, particularly renal function and metabolic parameters, in patients receiving these drugs during treatment, especially those who are older or more vulnerable,” said co-author Dr. Ziad Abuherwa, a fellow in hematology and medical oncology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.
Looking forward, Dr. Abuherwa emphasized that he and his colleagues aim to expand beyond just drug classes. “We hope to develop a practical risk stratification approach that evaluates dose, duration, adherence, on-treatment therapy changes, and interactions with specific myeloma regimens to identify patients who can safely continue on a particular cardiovascular drug and those who may benefit from closer monitoring and medication review.”
Dr. Abuherwa expressed optimism about the study’s significance, noting that the results provide clear evidence for both clinicians and myeloma patients that “several common cardiovascular drug classes were not associated with worse survival outcomes in phase III trials after adjusting for key clinical factors.”
“Most myeloma patients are not only fighting cancer, but also managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and other cardiovascular conditions. We wanted to understand whether these everyday medications make a difference in cancer outcomes and safety in modern myeloma treatments.”
(Original source URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-37464-4)
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University of Sharjah
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