Skin cancer patients may benefit from blood pressure drugs
Savvy American consumers know that buying cheap medication from Canada is one way to cope with rising healthcare costs.
Savvy American consumers know that buying cheap medication from Canada is one way to cope with rising healthcare costs. These medications can include beta-blockers, which can help treat high blood pressure. Previous research showed that beta-blockers may stunt the growth of melanoma tumors, prompting the formation of a new clinical trial.
Scientists in Denmark investigated how the beta-blocker propranol affected the behavior of different tumor cells, including melanoma. These tumors can be activated by epinephrine and norepinephrine, stress hormones that research suggests could promote tumor growth and metastasis. After being treated with propranol, the tumors stopped making these substances.
The Danish scientists shared this information with Stanley Lemeshow at Ohio State University (OSU), who helped them review thousands of medical records from Danish Cancer Registry. The results showed that melanoma patients who were already taking beta-blockers at diagnosis survived longer than those who didn't.
"The idea is that if you treat a patient with beta-blockers, then you can counteract 'epi' and 'norepi' and lower the amounts of those molecules that induce tumor progression, perhaps halting it," said Eric Yang of OSU's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research.
The researchers hope to soon commence with a clinical trial to verify the effects of beta-blockers on melanoma patients. If successful, these drugs may be used in conjunction with other chemotherapy.
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