Drugs routinely used to treat erectile dysfunction may make treatment more effective and thus improve survival for certain cancer patients.
Researchers at the University of Southampton have found that drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, including Viagra, may improve the response to chemotherapy in esophageal cancer patients. Ultimately, it is hoped that it will also be useful in the treatment of other cancers.
The UK has one of the highest rates of esophageal cancer in the world, with 9,300 new cases each year.
It also has one of the lowest survival rates, with 19% of patients surviving 5 years or more. In contrast, according to Cancer Research UK, 85% of breast cancer patients live beyond his five years.
The UK has one of the highest rates of esophageal cancer in the world, with 9,300 new cases each year
“Esophageal cancer is difficult to treat because about 80% of people do not respond to chemotherapy,” said Tim Underwood, a professor of gastrointestinal surgery at the University of Southampton who led the new study.
A new study published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine suggests that PDE5 inhibitors can improve patient outcomes.
The drug acts on smooth muscle (involuntary), causing it to relax. In impotence, the smooth muscle in the walls of blood vessels relaxes and dilates, increasing blood flow to the penis.
In cancer, drugs help by targeting cells called cancer-associated fibroblasts. These fibroblasts are found around cancers such as prostate cancer, lung cancer, and esophageal cancer.
A new study published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine suggests that PDE5 inhibitors can improve patient outcomes
Fibroblasts help form healthy connective tissue and provide the basic structure of organs and human tissues.
However, cancer cells send chemical signals that destroy fibroblasts and change their properties. In effect, fibroblasts begin to resemble smooth muscle, supporting cancer growth and increasing resistance to chemotherapy. It becomes floppy and unable to help the tumor grow and grow.
A Southampton team tested a PDE5 inhibitor in cancer cells and mice in the lab and found that 75 patients with esophageal cancer responded to chemotherapy, compared with the usual 20%. The team hopes to begin human trials soon.
Their study follows on from previous studies, including one published last year by Duke University in the United States, which found that exposure to PDE5 inhibitors stopped the growth and spread of prostate cancer.
Commenting on the study, Dr Sam Godfrey, Head of Research Information at Cancer Research UK, called the findings “exciting”, adding: Knocking down that scaffold is one of many ways he could use to treat cancer more effectively in the future. ”
Treatment for cancer that has spread could change with new blood tests that help doctors select better treatment options for individual patients.
Scientists at the University of British Columbia in Canada have developed a test that works in conjunction with a sophisticated computer program that analyzes the circulating DNA (ctDNA) shed by metastatic tumors.
Metastatic cancer tends to undergo molecular changes that make it less sensitive to treatment. Scientists writing in Nature said they hope the analysis will improve treatment choices for specific tumors.
on the pill
How your position affects medication.This week: Sleep on your right side after taking your pills
A new study by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, found that lying on your right side after taking a tablet allows the tablet to enter the bloodstream 10 times faster. rice field.
Using a simulated stomach, the team, led by medical engineering and medicine professor Rajat Mittal, found that this meant that the tablets were located near the region of the stomach where they were “crushed” and absorbed. Did.
However, do not lie down after taking all the medicines.
“It’s best to take the pills vertically because that’s how our digestion works. But if you’re bedridden, or if you take the pill at night and need to lie down right away. , you should either face to your right or lie on your back, which is a better option than lying on your left side,” Professor Mittal told Good Health.
