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Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Performing Data Mining And Integrative Analysis Of Biomarker in Breast Cancer Using Multiple Publicly Accessible Databases
Published on: May 17, 2019
Is Beta-Blocker Use Beneficial in Breast Cancer? A Meta-Analysis
Hyun Yul Kim1, Youn Joo Jung, Sang Hyup Lee
1Department of Surgery and Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
Objective:
Preclinical studies have proved that beta-blocking agents inhibit several pathways for breast cancer progression and metastasis. We aimed to evaluate the association between beta-blocker use and prognosis of breast cancer.
Methods:
A systematic search for studies from MEDLINE and EMBASE (inception to March 2014) was performed using the keywords "breast cancer" and "beta-blocker." In 2 groups of breast cancer patients (beta-blocker users and non-beta-blocker users), overall deaths (ODs), cancer-specific deaths (CSDs), and recurrences were compared.
Results:
Six studies including 18,118 patients were eligible for this analysis. Two studies with 3,139 patients were included in the analysis of ODs. The random-effects model showed no significant difference in ODs between beta-blocker users and non-beta-blocker users (odds ratio [OR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50-1.52, p = 0.49). Four studies with 13,782 patients were included in the measurement of CSDs. The difference in CSDs between beta-blocker users and non-beta-blocker users was not significant using the fixed-effect model (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.82-1.06, p = 0.29). Three studies with 3,923 patients were included in the calculation of recurrences. Overall, beta-blockers did not affect the incidence of recurrence (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.25-1.95, p = 0.49).
Conclusion:
Beta-blockers were not beneficial regarding ODs, CSDs, or recurrences. Further studies are needed to evaluate the associations between the effects of beta-blockers and subtypes of breast cancer.
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