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Good news for men: According to a new study, the antihypertensive medications you take may be duplicating, helping to reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
The researchers found that atenolol, a beta-blocker, halved the risk of intermediate-grade prostate cancer in men, compared to men not taking a beta-blocker.
The results also showed that it appeared to significantly reduce the risk of low-grade prostate cancer.
However, the effect was only found with atenolol (Tenormin). Two other beta-blockers, metoprolol (Lopressor / Toprol XL) and carvedilol (Coreg), did not appear to offer protection against prostate cancer.
"Atenolol was the only one to have been significantly associated with protecting the diagnosis of prostate cancer," said co-investigator Dr. Paul Frenette. He is President and Director of the Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Beta blockers lower blood pressure by blocking the effects of the hormone adrenaline, allowing your heart to beat more slowly and with less force, according to the Mayo Clinic. The medications also relax the blood vessels, helping them to open up and improve blood flow.
Beta-blockers also have another effect: they inhibit cells lining the veins and arteries and make it more difficult to form new blood vessels.
"You basically change the metabolism of these cells, and they can not very well make new blood vessels," said Frenette.
Because cancerous tumors rely on new blood vessels for food, the researchers speculated that beta-blockers could slow or block the progression of prostate cancer.
To test their theory, investigators examined nearly 4,200 men who underwent prostate biopsy between 2006 and 2016.
About 670 of these men were taking beta blockers. The researchers compared the beta-blocker they took to the question of whether they had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and, if so, how advanced was their cancer.
Atenolol could have had an effect on others because it could possibly stay longer in the prostate, said Frenette.
"We know that some drugs are concentrated in the prostate.It is possible that there is a difference between drugs that can act on the prostate," he suggested.
Men who take a beta-blocker should not, however, immediately contact their doctor to make their prescription for atenolol. "At this point, I think it's too early," Frenette said. "I think it should be examined with larger studies to be able to confirm that it's a good effect."
Dr. Sam Chang, president of urological surgery at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, acknowledged that it was too early to turn this discovery into clinical action.
"At the end of the day, that sounds interesting," Chang said. "Much broader epidemiological studies will be needed to see if there is really a potential benefit."
The results were presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in Chicago. Research presented at meetings is generally considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The study was funded by the US National Cancer Institute.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more about prostate cancer.
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