Cardiac drugs that target stress may help prolong survival in ovarian cancer patients

A new analysis of patient records indicates that certain drugs taken to improve heart health may also have anti-cancer properties, reports EurekAlert.

Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings indicate that additional studies are warranted to determine whether patients with cancer may benefit from adding beta blockers to their treatment regimen.

There is growing evidence that stress hormones can stimulate cancer to grow and spread. Beta blockers, which are drugs commonly used to treat hypertension and other heart-related conditions, affect the body's stress response and may therefore impact cancer progression. To investigate the potential for beta blockers to prolong cancer patients' survival, a team led by Anil Sood, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA, retrospectively analyzed the 2000 to 2010 medical records of 1,425 women who were treated at several different medical centers for ovarian cancer. The researchers noted that 193 of the women were taking beta blockers known as beta-1 adrenergic receptor (ADRB1) selective agents and 76 were receiving non-selective beta antagonists.