Category Archives: Ovarian Cancer

Could a Common and Inexpensive Heart Medicine (Beta-Blockers) Help Cancer Patients Live Longer?

Breast Cancer, General Treatment Issues, Lung Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer
Jessica Cote, Cancer Prevention & Treatment Fund

Beta-blockers are drugs that are usually prescribed for high blood pressure (hypertension), irregularities in heart beat (arrhythmias), and to prevent heart attacks after a first heart attack has already occurred. Beta-blockers work by stopping adrenaline and noradrenaline from triggering the body’s “fight or flight” response to stress or danger.  Beta blockers help the body feel more relaxed, lowering blood pressure and increasing blood flow.

Beta-blockers are taken by so many Americans that they are the fifth most widely prescribed class of drugs.[1]  Since they are safe and inexpensive, wouldn’t it be great if they were effective for treating cancer, too?

Doctors and researchers noticed that when cancer patients took beta-blockers because of their heart disease, they tended to live longer than other cancer patients. They decided to study whether beta-blockers significantly improve survival for several different types of cancer.

How Beta-Blockers Affect Different Types of Cancer

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

In a study published in Annals of Oncology in 2013, Hong-Mei Wang and colleagues at the MD Anderson Center in Texas reviewed data from 722 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer.[2] All patients received radiation therapy to treat their lung cancer, but only some took beta-blockers for heart conditions. Almost all the patients in the study had stage III cancer.

The 155 patients taking beta-blockers survived for an average of almost 24 months while the 567 patients not taking beta-blockers survived for an average of about 18.5 months. In addition to living longer, patients taking beta-blockers lived longer without their lung cancer returning (disease-free survival) and without it spreading to other parts of their body (distant metastasis-free survival). The researchers statistically controlled for other factors that could affect survival, such as the patient’s age, the stage of the cancer, the use of aspirin, and use of chemotherapy, to be sure that the beta-blockers were truly helping slow down the cancer.

Breast Cancer

Six studies published since 2010 have examined how beta-blockers affected breast cancer patients who had been treated with beta blockers for heart disease at the same time they were treated for cancer.[3] All six studies found that breast cancer patients lived longer if they were taking beta-blockers.

A new clinical trial is currently underway to find out what happens to women who take beta-blockers specifically as a breast cancer treatment. However, the results are not yet available.

Ovarian Cancer

Elena Diaz and colleagues at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center published a study in 2012 of 248 women who were treated with surgery and chemotherapy for their ovarian cancer.[4] Twenty-three patients took beta-blockers for high blood pressure or other heart conditions during their cancer treatment. The results showed that women who took beta-blockers were more likely to remain free of ovarian cancer after treatment than women who didn’t take beta-blockers (progression-free survival) and less likely to die from ovarian cancer (disease-specific survival). Women taking beta-blocker lived an average of 56 months after cancer treatment while those not taking beta blocker lived an average of 48 months after treatment. In addition, women who took beta-blockers were 54% less likely to die during the more than 12 years that researchers tracked their health, compared to the women who did not take beta blockers.

Pancreatic Cancer

Hussein Al-Wadei and colleagues at the University of Tennessee published a study in 2009 that showed how beta-blockers were able to halt the progression of pancreatic cancer in animals.[5]  Research is needed to determine if beta-blockers is effective for pancreatic cancer in humans.

Why Might Beta-Blockers Help Cancer Patients?

Adrenaline and noradrenaline, the two neurotransmitters that stimulate the “fight or flight” response, probably trigger tumor growth. When beta-blockers halt the activity of these neurotransmitters, they may therefore help reduce the growth of cancerous tumors.

When the FDA makes a decision to approve a drug, it is always for specific symptoms or diseases, and the risks and benefits for that specific treatment is what the FDA considers. Although generally safe, beta-blockers can cause fatigue, headache, upset stomach, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, cold hands, shortness of breath, and trouble sleeping.   For that reason, it is not a good idea to use beta-blockers to treat cancer unless there is clear evidence that they are likely to work — that the benefits outweigh those risks.  And, that is the reason that the breast cancer study that is now underway only includes beta blockers for 2 days before and 3 days after the cancer surgery.

In addition to being approved by the FDA to control blood pressure and heart disease, beta-blockers are also approved for preventing migraines, treating essential tremor (ET) in the head, arms and legs, and, as eye drops to treat glaucoma.  Doctors prescribe beta blockers for other reasons , but  taking medicines for non-approved uses can be risky. If a use is not approved, it often means that there is no conclusive evidence showing that the benefits outweigh the risks.  However, it sometimes means that the companies making the drug don’t think FDA approval for the new use will benefit the company financially.  The latter is especially true for drugs that are already on the market and inexpensive, such as beta-blockers.

The Bottom Line

  • Beta-blockers are usually used to treat heart conditions like high blood pressure and an irregular heart beat. New research has shown that these inexpensive drugs may help cancer patients live longer.
  • More research is needed to know which beta-blockers work best when added to cancer surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, and for which cancers.
  • If you already take beta-blockers for a heart condition, they may provide keep taking them if you are also diagnosed with cancer. If you don’t take beta-blockers but are diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer or early breast cancer, you may want to ask your doctor whether to take beta-blockers for two days before and three days after your cancer surgery.

All articles are reviewed and approved by Dr. Diana Zuckerman and other senior staff.

References

  1. Consumer Reports, Best Buy Drugs: “Using Beta-blockers to treat: High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease.” Updated March 2011. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/CU-Betablockers-FIN060109.pdf
  2. Wang HM, Liao ZX, Komaki R et al. Improved survival outcomes with the incidental use of beta-blockers among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer treated with definitive radiation therapy. Annals of Oncology 2013.
  3. Barron TI, Sharp L, Visvanathan K. Beta-adrenergic blocking drugs in breast cancer: a perspective review. Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology 2012; 4(3):113-125.
  4. Diaz ES, Karlan BY, Andrew JL. Impact of beta blockers on epithelial ovarian cancer survival. Gynecologic Oncology 2012; 127(2):375-378.
  5. Al-Wadei HAN, Al-Wadei  MH, Schuller HM. Prevention of pancreatic cancer by the beta-blocker propranolol. Anticancer Drugs 2009; 20(6):477-482.

Ovarian Cancer: What Are the Treatment Options?

Ovarian Cancer, Treatment & Management
By Lea Simms and Laura Gottschalk, PhD, Cancer Prevention & Treatment Fund

Ovarian cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death in women in the U.S. Approximately 21,000 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2015. [1]

Ovarian cancer begins in or near the ovaries, which is part of the female reproductive system. There are two ovaries, one on either side of the uterus, connected to the uterus by the fallopian tubes. Ovarian cancer is often undetected until it has spread to the uterus, pelvis, and abdomen.[2]

Like all cancers, treatment is much more successful in the early stages when the cancer has not yet spread.[3] Women over the age of 55, women who have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, and women who have had trouble getting pregnant or have never been pregnant are all at increased risk for ovarian cancer.[4]

To find out more about who is at risk and what to do about it, see our article Ovarian Cancer: who should be concerned and what can they do?

Traditionally, there have been three different types of ovarian cancer described:[5]

  • Epithelial
  • Germ cell
  • Stromal

Epithelial tumors are the most common type: 85%-90% of all ovarian cancers are epithelial.[2]These tumors start from the layer of cells that cover the outside of the ovaries or line the inside of the fallopian tubes, and can then spread to other parts of the body. There are four different types of epithelial ovarian cancer: serous (the most common), mucinous, endometroid, and clear cell. These different types of epithelial cancer describe how the tissue looks under the microscope and also the behavior of the cancer.

Germ cell tumors are a rarer form of ovarian cancer, in which the tumor starts growing in the germ cells that produce the eggs. Germ cell tumors make up about 2% of ovarian cancer cases and have a very high survival rate of 90%.[2] This type of cancer is most commonly seen in women under 25 years old (ovarian cancer research fund). There are several types of germ cell tumors: teratomas, dysgerminomas, endodermal sinus tumors, and choriocarcinomas.

There are also stromal tumors which begin in the tissue cells that hold the ovary together. Stromal tumors are diagnosed in about 1% of women with ovarian cancer and have a high survival rate of 75%.[2]

Like most cancers, ovarian cancer is probably not a single disease, but is made up of several different types of cancer that start in different places in or near the ovaries. Each type of cancer has its own unique genetic make-up, place where it begins to grow, and way of spreading. For example, the most common form of ovarian cancer, high-grade serous carcinoma, is now thought to start in the fallopian tube instead of the ovary [6]. New treatments for ovarian cancer are in the early stages, but the goal is to develop treatment options for these specific types of ovarian cancer.

Benign ovarian tumors are not cancerous and can be treated by removal of all or a part of an ovary. Tumors that are cancerous can metastasize (spread) and can be fatal. The stage of the tumor is used to describe how much it has spread ranging from stage I (only within the ovary or fallopian tube and has not yet spread) to stage IV (has spread to outside organs like the liver or lungs). The grade classifies the tumor on how much it looks like normal tissue: 1 is the most like normal tissue and 3 is the least like normal tissue. These classifications are used to determine what treatment is recommended.[1]

Treatments

If you were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, your medical team will recommend one or more treatment options. The main treatments for ovarian cancer are:

The most common recommendation for all stages of ovarian cancer is surgery followed by chemotherapy.[1]

Surgery

Surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer has two main goals: to stage and debulk (remove) the tumor. Staging refers to the doctors looking to see how far the cancer has spread and then taking tissue samples to test in a lab. Usually this means the doctor will remove the ovaries, uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and omentum (fatty tissue around these organs), and then remove tissue and fluid samples from the abdominal cavity and pelvis.[1] The surgeon will then remove as much of the tumor as possible, which is called debulking. If the disease seems to be limited to one or both ovaries, the surgeon will biopsy the pelvis and abdomen to find out if the cancer has spread. Sometimes debulking is not possible because the patient is not healthy enough or the tumor may be attached to other organs. In these cases, chemotherapy will be used to treat the cancer that can’t be surgically removed.[1]

Research has shown that if the cancer is caught early enough, a woman can be safely treated without removing her uterus (read more about it http://dev.stopcancerfund.org/p-ovarian-cancer/patients-under-50-with-early-stage-ovarian-cancer-safe-treatment-with-no-loss-of-fertility/).  Women with later stage ovarian cancer usually must undergo surgery that removes the uterus and thus causes infertility.[7]

For germ cell tumors and stromal tumors the main goal of surgery is to remove the cancer. Germ cell tumors are usually treated with a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes). If the cancer is found in one ovary, then only one of the ovaries and a fallopian tube will be removed to preserve the woman’s fertility. Stromal tumors are treated by removing the cancerous ovary, unless the cancer has spread to other areas, in which case a hysterectomy or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy will be performed.[1]

Chemotherapy

After surgery, patients with epithelial ovarian cancer are treated with chemotherapy. Typical chemotherapy is a combination of 2 or more drugs, every 3-4 weeks, with 3-6 cycles. A cycle is a schedule of regular doses of drugs followed by a rest period.[2]

The chemo drugs are given by mouth, injected into a vein (Intravenous chemotherapy also known as IV), or injected through a catheter directly into the abdomine (called intraperitoneal chemotherapy or IP). IP therapy works by bringing the toxic drugs in a concentrated form to exactly where the cancer is, while IV therapy aims to kill cancer cells wherever they might be located.[5] In 2006, researchers reported that on average, patients receiving IP chemotherapy lived 65 months, compared to 50 months for patients receiving IV chemo only [8]. That is why the National Cancer Institute currently recommends IP administration of chemo to treat ovarian cancer. However, this recommendation may soon change. In 2016, a study of 1,560 ovarian cancer patients surprisingly found no difference in survival for women receiving IP chemo compared to other traditional methods [9]. This is important because IP therapy tends to  cause worse side effects.[5]

Although IP and IP/IV administration has been shown to have benefits and has been recommended by the National Cancer Institute, the combination tends to have worse side effects.[5] That is probably why most eligible patients do not receive a combination of IP and IV chemotherapy.[7]

There are many different types of chemotherapy drugs and research has shown that giving a combination of drugs in the initial treatment of ovarian cancer is more effective.[10] Most doctors prescribe a platinum compound such as cisplatin or carboplatin and a taxane compound such as paclitaxel or docetaxel.[1] A very large study in 2006 compared 198 clinical trials of 48,440 women being treated for ovarian cancer and found that the regimen that best prolonged survival is a platinum and taxane combination with intraperitoneal administration.[8]

Hormone Therapy

Hormones or hormone-blocking drugs can stop the growth of tumors. Tamoxifen is an anti-estrogen drug that is common in the treatment of breast cancer and some ovarian stromal tumors.[1] There have been no large studies of Tamoxifen for ovarian cancer, however.  It is generally used as a second-line therapy for recurrent stromal tumors or tumors that do not respond to standard chemotherapy. Since side effects are generally mild, it is considered a less toxic choice for women who cannot tolerate the side effects of standard chemotherapy. However, tamoxifen can increase the risk of serious blood clots in the legs, so patients should be aware of this risk before considering it.[1]

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy uses genetically engineered drugs such as bevacizumab (Avastin) and olaparib (Lynparza) to attack the cancer cells. In several studies, Avastin has been shown to have some effectiveness in delaying the progression of ovarian cancer but it is not clear whether it helps patients live longer, and it has substantial side effects that can harm quality of life.[11][12]

Olaparib (Lynparza) is approved by the FDA for the treatment of ovarian cancer in women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations as a last resort for women who have had three or more prior unsuccessful treatments of chemotherapy.[13]  It has not been proven safe or effective for other ovarian cancer patients, but two studies are underway to see if the drug can be a useful treatment for women with BRCA mutations who have previously tried at least one platinum-based chemotherapy treatment.[14][15]

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is not common for ovarian cancer.  Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays or particles to kill the cancer cells.  It is sometimes used for recurrent cases when the cancer is confined to a small area.[2]

Which types of treatment you and your doctor decide to go with depends on the type of ovarian cancer you have and how it has advanced.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are used to help find new treatments for cancer.[2] If more effective treatments are found through clinical trials, they may become the standard treatment. If the new treatment is found to be less effective or have worse side effects, it probably will not be approved by the FDA and will not be available in the future.  Patients can enter clinical trials at different stages of their cancer treatment, but some trials may only be open to patients who have not yet started treatment. Remember: the treatments tested in clinical trials are not proven to be effective and the side effects are often unknown.  The new treatment may be worse than standard treatments, better, or identical in terms of effectiveness or side effects.  For those reasons, clinical trials are usually chosen by patients who have no other good options for treatment.  See here for the National Cancer Institute’s list of clinical trials: http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/clinical-trials.

The Latest Research

New research suggests that the most common route of treatment (first surgery, then chemo) might not be the most effective route of treatment. There is now evidence that having chemotherapy first, then followed by surgery, may be more effective for women with ovarian cancer, especially with epithelial ovarian tumors.[16]  Research has shown that chemotherapy prior to surgery improved the debulking of the tumor[17][18] and that patients also had fewer surgical complications and better post-operative recovery.[19]

The latest research, by Dr. Sean Kehoe and his team of doctors, took place in 87 hospitals in the UK and New Zealand.[18] The study randomly assigned 552 women with stage III or IV ovarian cancer to either the “Primary Surgery Group” (surgery followed by 6 cycles of chemotherapy) or to the “Primary Chemotherapy Group” (3 cycles of chemotherapy, then surgery followed by 3 more cycles of chemotherapy). The study measured overall survival rate as well as progression free survival (delaying the spread of cancer) and quality of life. At the conclusion of the study, 231 patients in the primary surgery group had died as had 220 in the primary chemotherapy group. Although the number of patients that died was similar, the Primary Chemotherapy group lived 1.5 months longer on average and had fewer adverse side effects and fewer toxic effects than the Primary Surgery group. The median survival rate (how long they lived after treatment) for the Primary Surgery group was 22.6 months compared to 24.1 months for the Primary Chemotherapy group. These results are also consistent with observational studies that showed similar results in survival rates.[20]

Although the differences in survival rate and duration of survival were similar, the chemotherapy group did have marginally better outcomes. This new finding may change the way doctors treat ovarian cancer and gives women another option rather than immediate surgery.

All articles are reviewed and approved by Dr. Diana Zuckerman and other senior staff.

References

  1. How is ovarian cancer treated? (2015, March 12). Retrieved June 8, 2015, from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovariancancer/detailedguide/ovarian-cancer-treating-general-info
  2. Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, and Primary Peritoneal Cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2015, from http://www.cancer.gov/types/ovarian
  3. Ovarian cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ovarian-cancer/basics/definition/con-20028096
  4. Waghray, P. (n.d.). Ovarian cancer: Who should be concerned and what can they do? Retrieved August 12, 2015, from http://dev.stopcancerfund.org/uncategorized/ovarian-cancer-who-should-be-concerned-and-what-can-they-do/
  5. Types of Ovarian Cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2015, from http://www.ocrf.org/about-ovarian-cancer/what-is-ovarian-cancer/types-of-ovarian-cancer
  6. Perets  R, Drapkin  R.  It’s totally tubular… riding the new wave of ovarian cancer research. Cancer Res. 2016;76(1):10-17.
  7. Bromberg, J. (n.d.). Patients under 50 with early-stage ovarian cancer: Safe treatment with no loss of fertility. Retrieved August 12, 2015, from http://dev.stopcancerfund.org/p-ovarian-cancer/patients-under-50-with-early-stage-ovarian-cancer-safe-treatment-with-no-loss-of-fertility/
  8. Armstrong DK, Bundy B, Wenzel L, et al. Intraperitoneal Cisplatin and Paclitaxel in Ovarian Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2006; 354:34-43.
  9. Walker JL, Brady, MF, Wenzel L. A phase III trial of bevacizumab with IV versus IP chemotherapy for ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal carcinoma: An NRG Oncology Study. Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer. March 19-22, 2016. San Diego, CA. Presentation.
  10. Kyrgiou, M, G Salanti, N Pavlidis, E Paraskevaidis, and JPA Ioannidis. n.d. “Survival benefits with diverse chemotherapy regimens for ovarian cancer: Meta-analysis of multiple treatments.” Jnci-Journal Of The National Cancer Institute 98, no. 22: 1655-1663. Science Citation Index, EBSCOhost (accessed August 12, 2015).
  11. Garcia A, Singh H. Bevacizumab and ovarian cancer. Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2013; 5(2): 133–141. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3556875/
  12. Li, J., Zhou, L., Chen, X., & Ba, Y. (2015). Addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Clinical & Translational Oncology: Official Publication of The Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies And of The National Cancer Institute of Mexico.
  13. Lynparza (Olaparib) label. (2014, December 1). Retrieved August 13, 2015, from http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2014/206162
  14. Olaparib Maintenance Monotherapy in Patients With BRCA Mutated Ovarian Cancer Following First Line Platinum Based Chemotherapy. (SOLO-1). (2013, April 30). Retrieved August 13, 2015, from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01844986
  15. Olaparib Treatment in BRCA Mutated Ovarian Cancer Patients After Complete or Partial Response to Platinum Chemotherapy. (2013, June 7). Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  16. Bristow RE, Chi DS. Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval surgical cytoreduction for advanced ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis. Gynecol Oncol 2006; 103: 1070–76.
  17. Vergote I, De Wever I, Tjalma W, Van Gramberen M, Decloedt J, van Dam P. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or primary debulking surgery in advanced ovarian carcinoma: a retrospective analysis of 285 patients. Gynecol Oncol 1998; 71: 431–36.
  18. Kang S, Nam BH. Does neoadjuvant chemotherapy increase optimal cytoreduction rate in advanced ovarian cancer? Meta-analysis of 21 studies. Ann Surg Oncol 2009; 16: 2315–20.
  19. Hou JY, Kelly MG, Yu H, et al. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy lessens surgical morbidity in advanced ovarian cancer and leads to improved survival in stage IV disease. GynecolOncol 2007; 105: 211–17.
  20. Kehoe, S., Hook, J., Nankivell, M., Jayson, G., Kitchener, H., Lopes, T., . . . Swart, A. (n.d.). Primary chemotherapy versus primary surgery for newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer (CHORUS): An open-label, randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial. The Lancet.