SynthesisJournal of cancer research and clinical oncology2025
Does propranolol have a role in cancer treatment? A systematic review of the epidemiological and clinical trial literature on beta-blockers.
Synthesis in Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07583134 (A Pragmatic Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Impact of Clinical Propranolol Strategies on Myocardial Injury After Non-cardiac Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
A Pragmatic Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Impact of Clinical Propranolol Strategies on Myocardial Injury After Non-cardiac Surgery (MINS) in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery With Hypertension or Angina
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Antihypertensive Drugs as Potential Repositioning Options for Melanoma: A Map of Pre-Clinical Evidence.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Neuron-tumor crosstalk in cancer: molecular mechanisms and translational advances.Molecular cancer · 2026Review
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Recurrence in Triple-Positive Breast Cancer (ER+/PR+/HER2+) and Potential Repurposing of Multi-Target Inhibitors.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Article
- Neuron-tumor interplay in colorectal cancer: from mechanisms of onset and progression to targeted therapies.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Review
- Neurobiology of urological diseases.Current urology · 2026Review
- Cancer Neoaxonogenesis: Mechanisms and Factors Involved in the Recruitment of Peripheral Nerves by Cancer Tissue.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Review
- Comparing the Molecular Pharmacological Properties of Existing β-Blockers to Determine the Theoretically Most "Ideal" Anti-Cancer β-Blocker.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2026Article
- Cell type-specific pharmacological modulation of the neuro-immune axis: the role of ADRB2 signaling in reshaping the tumor ecosystem.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Propranolol attenuates the malignant biological behaviors of renal cancer cells partly through modulation of the IL-6/PI3K/AKT signaling axis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- In-silico target prediction and pathway analysis of propranolol as a potential therapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma.PloS one · 2026Article
- Multicomplex Pharmacophore Modeling of Estrogen Receptors Suggests the Probable Repurposing of Procaterol as an Antiproliferative Agent Against Breast Cancer Cells.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Microenvironmental and Molecular Pathways Driving Dormancy Escape in Bone Metastases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Article
- Structural and Pharmacological Insights into Propranolol: An Integrated Crystallographic Perspective.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Vaccination Against Extracellular Vimentin Plus Doxorubicin for Canine Hemangiosarcoma.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeBeta-blockers, originally developed for cardiovascular conditions, have been explored for their potential role in cancer treatment. Propranolol, a non-selective beta-blocker, has shown promise in inhibiting stress-induced signalling pathways associated with cancer progression. This systematic review aims to assess the evidence for the repurposing of propranolol as a treatment for various cancers, particularly breast cancer to answer the research question: Does propranolol improve cancer outcomes, including survival and recurrence?
methodsWe conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, including studies up to July 2024. Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, and meta-analyses were included if they assessed the effects of propranolol on cancer outcomes such as mortality, survival, recurrence, or biomarkers of tumour regression. A narrative synthesis was performed to summarise the findings.
resultsThirty-one studies were included, consisting of 7 RCTs, 4 systematic reviews and 20 meta-analyses. The evidence suggests that propranolol may improve cancer outcomes, especially when administered perioperatively, by reducing recurrence risk. However, the results remain inconclusive regarding its use in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as studies showed mixed results. The timing of propranolol administration, alongside its combination with other cancer therapies, appears to be a key factor in its effectiveness.
conclusionPropranolol has potential as an adjunctive therapy in cancer treatment, particularly in reducing recurrence risk during the perioperative period. However, further clinical trials are needed to better define its role in cancer therapy, particularly regarding optimal treatment regimens and patient populations.
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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.