Blood pressure link to cancer

HIGH blood pressure is linked to an increased risk of developing cancer, research suggests.

According to the largest study conducted on the subject, people with raised blood pressure also have a higher chance of dying from the disease.

The research on almost 600,000 people found that higher than normal blood pressure was linked with a 10 per cent to 20 per cent increased risk of developing cancer in men, and a higher risk of dying from the disease in both sexes.

Dr Mieke Van Hemelrijck, of King’s College London, will present the findings at the European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress in Stockholm today. But Dr Van Hemelrijck said the study had not proved that high blood pressure actually causes cancer.