Beta-blockers Linked to Lower Survival in Breast Cancer Patients

An association between beta-blockers and survival outcomes in some breast cancer patients has been discovered by Flinders University researchers. Beta-blockers are used to manage heart disease and negatively associated with survival outcomes in patients with HER2 (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2) positive advanced breast cancer, stated a new paper in the Frontiers In Oncology.

"The research highlights a group of breast cancer patients whose survival outcomes are profoundly poorer," says Professor of Clinical Pharmacology Michael Sorich, director of the Precision Medicine Group at Flinders University's College of Medicine and Public Health.

"Given about 20% of breast cancer patients overexpress HER2 - and cardiovascular toxicities are a known complication anti-HER2 therapies - this study importantly identifies a subgroup of patients in which we recommend further investigation to find strategies to improve treatment outcomes."

Further research is needed to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of beta-blockers on specific breast cancer subtypes, cancer types, and cancer treatments.

Breast Cancer Facts and Figures

• Most frequent cancer among women.
• Impacts 2.1 million women each year.
• 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) develops invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
• By end of 2020, an estimated 276,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S.
• About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer.

Source-Medindia