(August 26, 2015) Women with epithelial ovarian cancer who happened to be taking nonselective beta-blockers for hypertension survived longer than those who were not taking the drugs, according to a large multicenter retrospective study. The study was funded in part by an OCRF grant to Dr. Anil Sood at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Survival was shown to be greatest among those prescribed first-generation nonselective beta-blockers. According to the study, published yesterday in the journal Cancer, the drugs block the effects of stress pathways involved in tumor growth and spread. With further research, they may also prove beneficial in conjunction with other treatment regimens and across other cancer types.
Click here to read more about this study.