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Mariam Adil

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Background: Beta-blockers are frequently used anti-hypertensive agents. It has been proposed that beta-blocker usage can potentially impact outcomes among cancer patients. While there is existing literature on the matter, studies have yielded conflicting results. The aim of this systemic review and meta-analysis is to further investigate the effect of beta-blockers on survival and recurrence among those diagnosed with cancer. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library for relevant studies published until October 16 th, 2023. Hazard ratios (HR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were extracted from the studies. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed to investigate heterogeneity and make results more reliable. Results: Data from fifty-four studies was included in this meta-analysis. A subgroup analysis was conducted based on the type of beta blockers and the type of cancer to assess the overall survival (OS) outcome. It was found that beta-blockers had no significant impact on overall survival, based on the type of cancer (HR=0.99; 95% CI: 0.94-1.04; P=0.70), and the type of beta-blockers (HR=0.99; 95% CI: 0.91-1.04; P=0.23). However, statistically significant results were observed for the outcome of cancer recurrence, favoring the beta-blocker group over the control group. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on both the outcomes to assess the heterogeneity in the results, reducing it considerably. Conclusion: According to our results, it can be concluded that the usage of beta-blockers generally has no significant impact on survival outcomes, however, a positive impact on recurrence was observed. There was a downward, yet non-significant, trend in pancreatic and ovarian cancer, indicating that further studies should investigate this.