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β-Adrenergic Signaling in Lung Cancer: A Potential Role for Beta-Blockers

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Abstract

Lung cancer results in more patient deaths each year than any other cancer type. Additional treatment strategies are needed to improve clinical responses to approved treatment modalities and prevent the emergence of resistant disease. Catecholamines including norepinephrine and epinephrine are elevated as a result of chronic stress and mediate their physiological effects through activation of adrenergic receptors on target tissues. Lung cancer cells express β-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs), and numerous preclinical studies indicate that β2-AR signaling on lung cancer cells facilities cellular programs including proliferation, motility, apoptosis resistance, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, metastasis, and the acquisition of an angiogenic and immunosuppressive phenotype. Here, we review the preclinical and clinical evidence supporting a potential role for beta-blockers in improving the clinical outcome of lung cancer patients.

Catecholamines including norepinephrine and epinephrine act of β-ARs expressed on NSCLC tumor cells and activate pathways regulating tumor progression.

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Funding

This work was funded by Lung SPORE grant 5 P50 CA070907, Lung Cancer Moon Shot Program, NIH CCSG (CA016672), and the Hanlon Fund. Figures were generated using BioRender.

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  1. Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Monique B. Nilsson, Xiuning Le & John V. Heymach

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  1. Monique B. Nilsson
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Correspondence to Monique B. Nilsson.

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Conflict of Interest

MN and JVH have filed a patent for the use of poziotinib for treating EGFR and HER2 mutant cancers, and licensed the technology to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. JVH also has/had the following disclosures: grant or research support from AstraZeneca, Bayer, and GlaxoSmithKline and has served on advisory committees for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Exelixis, Hengrui Therapeutics, Genentech, GSK, Guardant Health, Lilly, Novartis, Spectrum, Takeda, and Synta. XL is a consultant for Eli Lilly and AztraZeneca.

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Nilsson, M.B., Le, X. & Heymach, J.V. β-Adrenergic Signaling in Lung Cancer: A Potential Role for Beta-Blockers. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 15, 27–36 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-019-09891-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-019-09891-w

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