Major medical breakthrough as Australian researchers find everyday anti-stress drugs can help stop the spread of breast cancer
- Scientists found beta-blocker within anti-stress drugs slow the spread of cancer
- Discovered the stress experienced in patients activates ‘fight-or-flight’ response
- The response increased metastasis, the spread of cancer cells through the body
- Trialled anti-stress drugs on patients and found it helps slow spread of cancer
Australian researchers have discovered everyday anti-stress drugs could help slow the spread of breast cancer.
Researchers at Melbourne’s Monash University found Propranolol, a beta-blocker used to treat cardiac disease and anxiety disorders, could decisively increase the odds of surviving the disease, which kills about 3,000 Australian women a year.
Associate Professor Erica Sloan and her team found stress experienced by breast cancer patients ‘activates the fight-or-flight’ response.
This response then increased metastasis, the spread of the cancer cells through the body.
Scientists found that beta-blocker Propranolol within anti-stress drugs can slow the spread of cancer cells in women diagnosed with breast cancer (stock)
‘We harnessed that knowledge by repurposing existing drugs. Our goal was to see if we could stop cancer cells spreading in the body,’ Professor Sloan said.
‘We found that beta-blockers – which halt the stress response – stopped the cancer invading.’
The team conducted a clinical trial with 64 patients with some given an oral beta-blocker, some a placebo, for seven days prior to surgery to remove the tumour.
Following a week of beta-blockers, the scientists found in was effective in stopping the cancer’s spread.
‘This study showed how reducing the stress response supports patients during cancer diagnosis and treatment, which is a very stressful time,’ senior anaesthetist and PhD student Dr Jonathan Hille said.
‘These findings allow us to think about how we can use beta-blockers at the same time as existing cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, to improve survival rates for patients with cancer.’
The researchers are now developing a larger clinical trial.
Following a week of beta-blockers, the scientists discovered its effect in stopping the spread of the cancer (stock – 3D illustration of breast cancer)