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Beta Blockers Boost Benefits from Cancer Immunotherapy

A familiar and inexpensive beta blocker like propranolol may make cancer immunotherapy for melanoma and other tumors far more effective.

Beta blocker heart medicines have been available for decades. Drugs like propranolol are prescribed to treat the pain of angina, lower high blood pressure and prevent migraine headaches. Might they also have a role in the burgeoning field of cancer immunotherapy?

Beta Blockers Improve the Impact of Cancer Immunotherapy:

In recent years, drug companies have developed cancer medications that work through the patient’s own immune system. These include checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo). Such medications are often helpful for metastatic melanoma, although they do not work for all patients. Moreover, the price tag for these treatments can be breathtaking.

Now, researchers report that the old and inexpensive medicines known as beta blockers may boost the effectiveness of such pricey new cancer medications. A review of medical records showed that patients with metastatic melanoma fared better on cancer immunotherapy if they were also taking nonselective beta blockers like propranolol (Kokolus et al, Oncoimmunology, online, Dec. 21, 2017).

Mouse Study Confirms the Benefit:

A follow-up experiment in mice demonstrated that immunotherapy for melanoma was more effective when paired with propranolol. We will be watching for further research to determine whether propranolol or other cheap beta blockers truly can turbo-charge cancer immunotherapy.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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