Beta-blocker use and urothelial bladder cancer survival : a Swedish register-based cohort study

• Background: Recent observational studies linked beta-adrenergic receptor blocker use with improved survival in patients with several cancer types, but there is no information on the potential effects of beta-blockers in patients with bladder cancer. Literature from pre-clinical studies is also limited, but urothelial cancer can exhibit significant overexpression of beta-adrenergic receptors relative to normal urothelial tissue, suggesting that urothelial cancer may benefit from beta-blockade therapy. We thus aimed to explore the possible association between beta-blocker use and bladder cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) among patients with urothelial bladder cancer.Material and methods: Patients diagnosed during 2006-2014 and identified from the Swedish Cancer Register (n = 16,669) were followed until 31 December 2015. Cox regression was used to evaluate the association of beta-blockers dispensed within 90 days prior to cancer diagnosis with BCSM (primary outcome) and all-cause mortality, while controlling for socio-demographic factors, tumor characteristics, comorbidity, other medications and surgical procedures. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported.Results: Overall, beta-blocker use was associated with lower BCSM [HR 0.88 (95%CI 0.81-0.96)]. Especially use of nonselective beta-blockers showed a clear inverse association in comparison with both nonuse [0.66 (0.50-0.86)] and use of other antihypertensive medications [0.72 (0.54-0.95)]. The inverse association was most pronounced among patients with locally advanced/metastatic disease: [0.35 (0.18-0.68)]. A lower-magnitude inverse association was observed for selective beta-blocker use [0.91 (0.83-0.99)]. Largely similar inverse associations were observed for hydrophilic [0.82 (0.70-0.95)] and lipophilic [0.91 (0.83-1.00)] beta-blocker use.Conclusion: beta-blocker use, particularly of the nonselective type, was associated with lower BCSM, especially in patients with locally advanced/metastatic urothelial bladder cancer.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Adrenergic signaling

beta-blocker

urothelial bladder cancer

survival

cohort study

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)