Impotence drugs that may kill off cancer cells could boost survival rates

Drugs routinely used to treat erectile dysfunction may increase the survival rates of people with certain cancers by making their treatment more effective.

Researchers at the University of Southampton have found that drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, including Viagra, may improve how well patients with esophageal cancer respond to chemotherapy. The hope is that it may eventually help treat other cancers as well.

The UK has one of the highest rates of esophageal cancer in the world, with 9,300 new cases a year.

It also has one of the lowest survival rates: 19 percent of patients survive five years or more. In contrast, 85 percent of breast cancer patients survive their disease for five years or more, according to Cancer Research UK.

“Esophageal cancer is difficult to treat because about 80 percent of people don’t respond to chemotherapy,” said Tim Underwood, a professor of gastrointestinal surgery at Southampton University who led the new study.

The new study, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, suggests that PDE5 inhibitors could improve patient outcomes.

The drugs act on smooth (involuntary) muscles, causing them to relax. In the case of impotence, this helps to relax and widen the smooth muscles in the blood vessel walls, increasing blood flow to the penis.

In cancer, the drugs help by targeting cells called cancer-associated fibroblasts, which are found in the area around cancers, including prostate and lung cancers, as well as esophageal cancer.

The new study, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, suggests that PDE5 inhibitors could improve patient outcomes

Fibroblasts help form healthy connective tissue, which provides the basic structure of organs and human tissue.

However, cancer cells send chemical signals that affect the fibroblasts and change their nature – in fact, the fibroblasts begin to resemble smooth muscle so that they support the growth of the cancer and build resistance to chemotherapy. The PDE5 inhibitors relax the structure of the cancer fibroblasts so that they become flaccid, meaning they can no longer help the tumor thrive and grow.

When the Southampton team tested PDE5 inhibitors on cancer cells in the lab and on mice, they found that chemotherapy was effective in 75 percent of cases, compared to the usual 20 percent of patients with esophageal cancer. The team hopes to begin human trials soon.

Their work follows previous studies, including one published last year by Duke University in the US, 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 study results ‘exciting’ and added: ‘Cancer-associated fibroblasts are the sidekick of cancer, building molecular scaffolds that support tumor growth. Breaking down those scaffolds is one of the many ways we can treat cancer more effectively in the future.’

Treatment of metastatic cancer could be transformed by a new blood test that could help doctors select better treatment options for individual patients.

Scientists at the University of British Columbia in Canada have developed a test that, together with an advanced computer program, analyzes circulating DNA (ctDNA) secreted by metastatic tumors.

Metastatic cancer tends to develop molecular changes that make it less sensitive to treatment. Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists hope the analysis will improve the selection of treatments that are suitable for specific tumors.

In pill position

How your position can affect medication. This week: Lie on your right side after taking tablets

A new study from Johns Hopkins University in the US, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, found that tablets enter the bloodstream ten times faster if a person lies on their right side after taking them.

Using a simulated stomach, the team, led by Rajat Mittal, a professor of medical technology and medicine, found that this means that the pill is closer to the part of the stomach where it is “crushed” and absorbed.

However, you should not lie down after taking any medication.

“It’s still best to take pills upright, because that’s how our digestive system is supposed to work – but if you’re bedridden, or taking pills at night and need to lie down shortly afterwards, turning to the right or on your back is lie better options than lying on your left side,” Professor Mittal told Good Health.