BACKGROUND: We recently reported reduced prostate cancer (PCa)-specific mortality for β-blocker users among patients receiving androgen-deprivation therapy in a health survey cohort including 655 PCa patients.
Information on clinical characteristics was limited.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between β-blockers and PCa-specific mortality in a cohort of 3561 prostate cancer patients with high-risk or metastatic disease, and to address potential confounding from the use of statins or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Clinical information from all men reported to the Cancer Registry of Norway with a PCa diagnosis between 2004 and 2009 (n=24 571) was coupled with information on filled prescriptions between 2004 and 2011 from the Norwegian Prescription Database. Exclusion criteria were low- or intermediate-risk disease; planned radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy; initiation of β-blocker, ASA, or statin use after diagnosis where applicable; missing information on baseline Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen level, T stage or performance status; and missing follow-up.
OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Cox proportional hazards modelling and competing risk regression modelling were used to analyse the effects of β-blocker use on all-cause and PCa-specific mortality, respectively. Differences between β-blocker users and nonusers regarding baseline clinical characteristics were assessed by the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson chi-square test, and Student t test.
RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Median follow-up was 39 mo. β-Blocker use was associated with reduced PCa mortality (adjusted subhazard ratio: 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68-0.91; p value: 0.001). The observed reduction in PCa mortality was independent of the use of statins or ASA. We observed no association with all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.92; 95% CI, 0.83-1.02). The main limitations of the study were the observational study design and short follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: β-Blocker use was associated with reduced PCa-specific mortality in patients with high-risk or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. Our findings need validation from further observational studies.
Written by:
Grytli HH, Fagerland MW, Fosså SD, Taskén KA. Are you the author?
Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Reference: Eur Urol. 2013 Jan 14. pii: S0302-2838(13)00010-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2013.01.007
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23351721
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