Among the 269 patients who received beta-blockers during chemotherapy, 193 (71.7 per cent) received beta-1-adrenergic receptor selective agents (SBBs) and the remaining patients received nonselective beta antagonists (NSBBs).
A common medication used to treat heart disease can also prolong survival in ovarian cancer patients, researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have found.
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers showed a benefit in overall survival among epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients receiving generic heart medications known as beta blockers.
According to the researchers from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre in US, the drugs block the effects of stress pathways involved in tumour growth and spread.
The findings are the result of a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 1,425 women with ovarian cancer treated between 2000 and 2010.
Among the 269 patients who received beta-blockers during chemotherapy, 193 (71.7%) received beta-1-adrenergic receptor selective agents (SBBs) and the remaining patients received nonselective beta antagonists (NSBBs).
The researchers found that for patients receiving any beta-blocker, the median overall survival was 47.8 months versus 42 months for nonusers.
Median overall survival based on beta-blocker receptor selectivity was 94.9 months for those receiving NSBBs versus 38 months for those receiving SBBs.
Even among patients with hypertension, a longer median overall survival was observed among users of NSBBs compared with nonusers (90 months versus 38.2 months).
It showed that stress hormones fuel progression of ovarian and other cancers, and that beta-blockers - among the most proven drugs in cardiovascular medicine - might be a new way to stifle that effect.
"Beta-blockers treat a variety of conditions, such as heart disease, high-blood pressure, glaucoma and migraines. They target a receptor protein in heart muscle that causes the heart to beat harder and faster when activated by stress hormones," said principal investigator Anil Sood, professor at MD Anderson Cancer Centre.
"Our research has shown that the same stress mechanisms impact ovarian cancer progression, so these drugs could play a new role in cancer treatment," Sood said.
He added that beta-blocker users in the study presented at a higher stage of disease, had an increased average body-mass index (BMI) and were more likely to be hypertensive.
All these factors were associated with decreased survival, yet those who received beta-blockers had either equivalent or improved overall survival.
Further examination showed that NSBB users had improved overall survival regardless of the presence of such prognostic factors or comorbidities. This was not true for patients who took SBBs.
The study was published in the journal Cancer.
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 "Heart medication may prolong ovarian cancer patient survival")
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