A new study revealed that taking beta blockers could extend the lives of women with ovarian cancer by up to four years.

Beta blockers pills are commonly taken to help people deal with stress, lower blood pressure and manage heart problems but the researchers from University of Texas have found that they may also act as a powerful cancer medication.

For the study the researchers examined 1, 425 women with ovarian cancer treated between 2000 and 2010. Among 269 patients who received beta-blockers during chemotherapy, 193 (71.7%) received beta-1-adrenergic receptor selective agents (SBBs) and the remaining patients received nonselective beta antagonists (NSBBs).

The researchers found that for patients receiving any beta-blocker, the median overall survival was 47.8 months versus 42 months for nonusers. Perhaps more importantly, median overall survival based on beta-blocker receptor selectivity was nearly 95 months among those who received NSBBs against 38 months for those taking the SBBs. After further analysis, it was revealed that NSBB users had improved overall survival regardless of the presence of such prognostic factors or comorbidities. This was not true for patients who took SBBs.

The study was published in the journal Cancer.    

By Lizitha