Does β-adrenoceptor blocker therapy improve cancer survival? Findings from a population-based retrospective cohort study

AIMS To examine the effect of beta-adrenoceptor blocker treatment on cancer survival. METHODS In a UK primary care database, we compared patients with a new cancer diagnosis receiving beta-adrenoceptor blockers regularly (n = 1406) with patients receiving other antihypertensive medication (n = 2056). RESULTS Compared with cancer patients receiving other antihypertensive medication, patients receiving beta-adrenoceptor blocker therapy experienced slightly poorer survival (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.04, 1.33 for all beta-adrenoceptor blockers; HR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.94, 1.55 for non-selective beta-adrenoceptor blockers). This poorer overall survival was explained by patients with pancreatic and prostate cancer with no evidence of an effect on survival for patients with lung, breast or colorectal cancer. Analysis in a cancer-free matched parallel cohort did not suggest selection bias masked a beneficial effect. CONCLUSION Our study does not support the hypothesis that beta-adrenoceptor blockers improve survival for common cancers.