Beta blocker could save breast cancer patients

An existing drug that could dramatically reduce the spread of breast cancer and improve survival rates has been identified by a team from Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Carvedilol is a beta-blocker used to manage cardiovascular disorders including hypertension and chemotherapy-induced heart disease. Researchers found that women who happened to be taking it when diagnosed with breast cancer were more likely to survive.

The study, published in the European Journal of Cancer in April 2021, builds on previous findings that beta-blockers can reduce biomarkers of  metastasis in breast cancer. It found that treatment with carvedilol blocked the effects of sympathetic nervous system activation, reducing tumour growth and preventing invasion by breast cancer cell lines.

Associate Professor Erica Sloan said,

It’s an exciting finding that shows that a cardiac drug currently being used to treat chemotherapy-induced heart disease could also help slow or stop cancer.

The team was supported by the National Breast Cancer Foundation Australia and the National Health Medical Research Council, and is now working towards a clinical trial.