ASH Monday, December 8, 2014
Yi Lisa Hwa, DNP, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, noticed that one of her patients MM numbers improved when she prescribed the beta blocker propanolol. So she took a look back in time. In a retrospective study of Mayo patients seen between 1993 and 2010, 136 patients who had taken beta blockers were compared with 136 who were statistically matched but did not take beta blockers. Median followup was seven years.
Results: The five-year overall survival (OS) for myeloma patients taking beta blockers was about 62%, contrasted with OS of 47% for those not taking beta blockers.
This is quite a big difference, and it's real. In a discussion with the author, she did point out that beta blockers are now being used in treatment of other cancers. I doubt we have heard the last of this one in myeloma. How does it work? How much is enough or too much? Is it really the beta blocker, or is it the underlying condition or lifestyle that prompted the doctor to prescribe the beta blocker? There is work to be done.
Caution: Beta blockers are contraindicated for some people, and anyone contemplating the addition of beta blockers to their regimen should discuss it with the prescribing doctor. I myself probably should not take them, because my resting heart rate is too low. Darn.
Link to abstract.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment