Beta-Blockers as Breast Cancer Therapy?

The search for novel cancer therapies extends to medications for unrelated illnesses when preclinical data suggest a biological rationale and epidemiologic observations suggest an anticancer effect. The therapeutic potential of beta-blockers (BBs) in this setting is supported by experiments showing that activation of β-adrenergic receptors on primary tumor and stromal cells can induce growth and metastatic dissemination of malignant cells. Moreover, BBs can hinder cell growth that arises from stress-associated activation of β-adrenergic receptors. Now, two research groups have asked whether BBs affect breast cancer recurrence and survival.

In the first study, investigators retrospectively reviewed medical records of 1400 patients with triple…