Repurposing existing medications as cancer therapy: Design and feasibility of a randomized pilot investigating propranolol administration in patients receiving hematopoietic cell transplantation

Background Repurposing existing medications for antineoplastic purposes can provide a safe, cost-effective, and efficacious means to further augment available cancer care. Clinical and preclinical studies suggest a role for the s-adrenergic antagonist (s-blocker) propranolol in reducing rates of tumor progression in both solid and hematologic malignancies. In patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), the peri-transplant period is a time of increased activity of the s-adrenergically-mediated stress response.