INTRODUCTION
Melanoma is a common malignant tumor derived from melanocytes. It accounts for only 3–5% of all cutaneous malignancies; however, about 70% of all skin cancer associated deaths globally are attributed to melanoma.1,2 There has been a marked change in melanoma treatment in the last decades. The novel standard treatment modality in high-risk melanoma patients who are sentinel positive is an adjuvant therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors or targeted therapy with BRAF and MEK inhibitors over a period of one year.3 For patients with unresectable or metastatic melanomas, immune checkpoint inhibitors as combination therapy with PD-1 antibody nivolumab and CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab or as monotherapy with PD-1 antibodies nivolumab or pembrolizumab are recommended as the first line treatment, whereas in BRAF-mutated patients BRAF and MEK inhibitors like dabrafenib and trametinib are additional treatment options.4-6 Despite the significant progress with their use, there are still certain limitations related to non-responders, loss of efficiency and acquired drug resistance especially in BRAF inhibitors that limits their utility.7 As melanoma is still associated with a poor survival rate despite the breakthrough of new innovative therapies within the last decade, as well as a significant impairment of the quality of life, it becomes important that further effective and safe therapies are developed. Various recent studies have reported a positive effect of β-blockers on the survival of melanoma patients.8-11
Since the advent of β-blockers, they have emerged as one of the most commonly used drugs in medicine. Pronethalol was the first clinically tested β-blocker, but due to its carcinogenic potential in mice, it was not approved for human use. Propranolol was the first β-blocker used in clinical practice for the management of angina pectoris. Since then, the use of β-blockers has diversified manifold and currently they are being used in a large variety of clinical conditions, ranging from cardiac diseases like hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, to other indications like prophylaxis of migraine, anxiety, tremors, and thyrotoxicosis.
Since the advent of β-blockers, they have emerged as one of the most commonly used drugs in medicine. Pronethalol was the first clinically tested β-blocker, but due to its carcinogenic potential in mice, it was not approved for human use. Propranolol was the first β-blocker used in clinical practice for the management of angina pectoris. Since then, the use of β-blockers has diversified manifold and currently they are being used in a large variety of clinical conditions, ranging from cardiac diseases like hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, to other indications like prophylaxis of migraine, anxiety, tremors, and thyrotoxicosis.
