The effects of beta-blocker use on cancer prognosis: a meta-analysis based on 319,006 patients
- PMID: 30174436
- PMCID: PMC6109661
- DOI: 10.2147/OTT.S167422
The effects of beta-blocker use on cancer prognosis: a meta-analysis based on 319,006 patients
Abstract
Background: Beta-blockers are antihypertensive drugs and have shown potential in cancer prognosis. However, this benefit has not been well defined due to inconsistent results from the published studies.
Methods: To investigate the association between administration of beta-blocker and cancer prognosis, we performed a meta-analysis. A literature search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science was conducted to identify all relevant studies published up to September 1, 2017. Thirty-six studies involving 319,006 patients were included. Hazard ratios were pooled using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses were conducted by stratifying ethnicity, duration of drug use, cancer stage, sample size, beta-blocker type, chronological order of drug use, and different types of cancers.
Results: Overall, there was no evidence to suggest an association between beta-blocker use and overall survival (HR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.87-1.03), all-cause mortality (HR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.94-1.05), disease-free survival (HR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.30-1.17), progression-free survival (HR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.79-1.02), and recurrence-free survival (HR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.76-1.28), as well. In contrast, beta-blocker use was significantly associated with better cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.65-0.95). Subgroup analysis generally supported main results. But there is still heterogeneity among cancer types that beta-blocker use is associated with improved survival among patients with ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma.
Conclusion: The present meta-analysis generally demonstrates no association between beta-blocker use and cancer prognosis except for CSS in all population groups examined. High-quality studies should be conducted to confirm this conclusion in future.
Keywords: beta-blocker; cancer; meta-analysis; prognosis.
Conflict of interest statement
Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
Figures
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