Breast cancer help by beta-blockers?

Breast cancer: help with beta-blockers in metastases? At the 7th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC7), held in Barcelona, ​​Spain, on 24-27 March, English and German researchers jointly presented a Sudie study of beta-blockers in metastatic breast cancer patients reduced the mortality rate.

At the 7th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC7), held in Barcelona, ​​Spain, on 24-27 March, English and German researchers jointly presented a Sudie study of beta-blockers in metastatic breast cancer patients reduced the mortality rate.The researchers from the universities of Nottingham and Witten / Herdecke had examined the data of a total of 466 breast cancer patients. 92 of them received antihypertensive treatment. Of the 93 breast cancer patients with hypertension treatment, 43 (approximately 46 percent) were treated with beta-blockers. With them, the researchers found Dr. Desmond G. Powe from the University of Nottingham reported a significant reduction in metastasis and local recurrence. But most notably, the risk of death from breast cancer was 71 percent lower in affected women, which in turn increased survival.

From the data of the 466 patients originally taking part in the study, there were some who received a different high blood pressure therapy, so that the effect may be attributed to the beta-blockers and not to the hypertension.

One explanation for the mode of action of beta-blockers may be blocking the docking of stress hormones to tumor cells and, moreover, inhibiting the growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells. The most widely used effect of beta-blockers is based on the fact that the ingredients in our body block so-called beta-receptors and thereby reduce the effects of the stress hormones adrenaline and norepinephrine.

The orthomolecular medicine doctor, Andrea Thiem from Hanover, points out that beta blockers can hinder the absorption of the coenzyme Q 10 and thus the energy supply of the affected cells in the human organism. Perhaps this could be one of the causes of the now discovered effect. From the point of view of naturopathy, this is often rather problematic, Andrea Thiem states further, because, for example, a dose in patients taking additional cholesterol-lowering, can lead to a lack of energy. „The resulting lack of energy could in the worst case lead to heart failure“, Thiem adds.

But not only from the perspective of naturopathy, which tries to take into account the complex mechanisms of action of the substances in our organism, there is still a need for clarification regarding the effect of the beta-blocker. The researchers around Dr. Powe and Prof. Frank Entschladen (University of Witten / Herdecke) want to continue their research on a drug that can help women with breast cancer in a cost-effective manner. (Thorsten Fischer, Naturopath Osteopathy, 29.03.2010)