Impact of beta blockers on survival outcomes in ovarian cancer: a nationwide population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE: The impact of beta blockers (BBs) on survival outcomes in ovarian cancer was investigated. METHODS: By using Korean National Health Insurance Service Data, Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to analyze hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for confounding factors. RESULTS: Among 866 eligible patients, 206 (23.8%) were BB users and 660 (76.2%) were non-users. Among the 206 BB users, 151 (73.3%) were non-selective beta blocker (NSBB) users and 105 (51.0%) were selective beta blocker (SBB) users. BB use in patients aged ≥60 years, longer duration use (≥1 year), in patients with Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) ≥3, and in cardiovascular disease including hypertension was associated with better survival outcome. These findings were observed in both NSBB and SBB. When duration of medication was analyzed based on number of days, NSBB (≥180 days) was associated with improved overall survival (OS) with a relatively shorter period of use compared to SBB (≥720 days). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, longer duration of BB medication (≥1 year) was an independent favorable prognostic factor for both OS and disease-specific survival in ovarian cancer patients. CONCLUSION: In our nationwide population-based cohort study, BB use was associated with better survival outcomes in ovarian cancer in cases of long term duration of use, in older patients, and in cardiovascular and/or other underlying disease (CCI ≥3).