Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33592015›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2021

Beta-blocker and survival in patients with lung cancer: A meta-analysis.

Zhen Lei, Weiyi Yang, Ying Zuo

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets in lung cancer-nerve crosstalk.Chinese medical journal pulmonary and critical care medicine · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Zhen LeiDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.
Weiyi YangDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.
Ying ZuoDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.ORCID 0000-0002-1675-0573
Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBeta-blocker (BB) is suggested to have anticancer efficacy. However, the potential influence of BB use on overall survival (OS) in patients with lung cancer remains undetermined. We aimed to evaluate the above relationship in an updated meta-analysis.

methodsObservational studies comparing OS between users and non-users of BB with lung cancer were identified by search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane's Library. A random-effect model was used to pool the results.

resultsTen retrospective cohort studies with 30870 patients were included. Overall, BB use was not associated with significantly improved OS in lung cancer (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.98 to 1.06, p = 0.33) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 29%). Stratified analyses showed similar results in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, in studies with BB use before and after the diagnosis of lung cancer, and in studies with or without adjustment of smoking. Use of BB was associated with improved OS in patients with stage III lung cancer (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.85 to 0.98, p = 0.02) and in patients that did not receive surgery resection (HR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.96, p = 0.02), while use of non-selective BB was associated with worse OS (HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.28, p = 0.03).

conclusionsThis meta-analysis of retrospective cohort studies does not support a significant association between BB use and improved OS in lung cancer.

Indexed as

Adrenergic beta-AntagonistsAgedAntineoplastic AgentsCarcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungDisease-Free SurvivalFemaleHumansLung NeoplasmsMaleMiddle AgedObservational Studies as TopicRetrospective StudiesSmall Cell Lung CarcinomaAdrenergic beta-AntagonistsAntineoplastic Agents

Identifiers

PMID33592015
PMCPMC7886135
OpenAlexW3129750673

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.