BP drugs not protective against colorectal cancer

Contrary to current thinking, beta blockers do not decrease a person?s risk of developing colorectal cancer, according to new findings.

The study, published online in CANCER (a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society) reveals that even long-term use of subtypes of beta blockers for blood pressure treatment, shows no reduction of colorectal cancer risk.

In recent years, researchers have thought that beta blockers might be linked with a decreased risk of cancer. This theory stems from animal and laboratory studies that found that the stress hormone norepinephrine can promote the growth and spread of cancer cells. Beta blockers inhibit norepinephrine's action, so it stands to reason that the medications could have anticancer properties.

Previous studies on beta blockers' effects on colorectal cancer risk have yielded inconsistent results. To provide more thorough information, Michael Hoffmeister, PhD, of the German Cancer Research Center, in Heidelberg, Germany, and his colleagues conducted personal interviews from 2003 to 2007 with 1,762 patients with colorectal cancer and 1,708 cancer-free individuals.

After taking into consideration certain patient characteristics (such as weight and smoking status) and other factors that might influence the results, the researchers found no link between beta blocker use and colorectal cancer risk. Previous studies had not taken these factors into consideration. Even when the investigators broke down their analyses by duration of use of beta blockers, specific types of beta blockers, active ingredients (metoprolol, bisoprolol, carvedilol, and atenolol), and sites within the colon or rectum where colorectal cancer developed, there was no link.

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