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Melanoma: β-blockers cut recurrence risk, boost survival
Takeaway
- Long-term results confirm earlier findings that the use of β-blockers can significantly reduce the risk for recurrence and mortality in patients with melanoma.
Why this matters
- β-blockers have promise as a new therapeutic option for patients with melanoma, but randomized trials are needed to confirm these results.
Study design
- Updated results of a prospective study comprised of 121 patients with stage II–IIIA (T2,N0 or N1,M0) melanoma, with 30 (25%) patients reporting use of β-blockers.
- Funding: None listed.
Key results
- Initial results reported that at a median follow-up of 2.5 y, 34% of untreated patients had progressive disease vs only 3% of those using β-blockers.
- At 8-y follow-up, as reported in the current article, with a median duration of β-blocker use of 7.6 y, 45% of untreated patients had disease progression vs 30% using β-blockers.
- 32 (35%) untreated patients died from melanoma vs 5 (17%) treated patients.
- β-blocker use was inversely associated with DFS (HR, 0.37; P=.02) and OS (HR, 0.34; P=.01), in an analysis that was adjusted for confounders including age, sex, Breslow thickness, ulceration, mitoses, and hypertension.
References
De Giorgi V, Grazzini M, Benemei S, Marchionni N, Geppetti P, Gandini S. β-Blocker use and reduced disease progression in patients with thick melanoma: 8 years of follow-up. Melanoma Res. 2017 Mar 24 [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1097/CMR.0000000000000317. PMID: 28346289
