What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the safety, effectiveness, and impact on psychological stress of giving propranolol beta-blockade around the time of surgery to patients with surgically removable primary gastrointestinal tumors. This phase 2 exploratory pilot study also includes a multi-omics analysis using clinical samples to investigate how the anti-tumor immune response is activated and its underlying mechanisms. In this single-center study, 40 patients with resectable primary gastric or colorectal cancer are enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups. The treatment group receives oral propranolol twice daily starting 10 to 14 days before surgery, with the dose increased after 3 days if certain safety criteria are met, and continued for 3 weeks after surgery. The control group receives no propranolol. Patients are monitored during treatment and followed up at 6, 12, and 24 months post-treatment. Participants undergo regular assessments including heart rate, blood pressure, norepinephrine levels, blood glucose, oxygen saturation, and psychological evaluations up to 24 days after surgery. Tumor tissue and blood samples are collected before and during surgery for RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, and ELISA testing. Researchers track anxiety and depression scores over two years and monitor safety and efficacy throughout the study period until disease progression or death.

The Use of Propranolol in the Perioperative Period of Resectable Gastrointestinal Tumors