Viagra to treat cancer? The surprising conclusions of a new study

Dand agreement with a study published in Cancer Research magazine this July, Viagra may be an important medicine to treat cancer. Research conducted by the Weizmann Institute of Sciences of Israel suggests that an active ingredient of this medicine can help block tumor spread in cells.

According to the investigation, Viagra can interfere with the mechanism that controls the use of cholesterol by cells. Thus, as cholesterol turns out to be a way for cancer cells to reach other organs, reducing their access may limit the spread of the disease.

Viagra against cancer? Results

The study was conducted in rodents in the laboratory. The team also analyzed data from more than five million people who were followed up over 20 years. They reveal that those who took sildenafil, the active principle of Viagra, lived longer. The results were better when combined with statins, medicines used to reduce cholesterol.

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Therefore, an unknown function of this medicinal product was discovered during this study. It may eventually interfere with the molecules that carry cholesterol inside the cells. When there is less cholesterol available, cancer cells end up having more difficulty forming metastases. Thus, treatment can be done in another way and improved.

“ We discovered a new biological pathway that binds a well-known signaling molecule to the regulation of cholesterol within cells and show how this pathway can be explored to interfere with the ability of cancer cells to form metastases,” said Ayelet Erez, researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Sciences.

Further studies need to be done

Despite the results, this type of treatment needs to be further explored to realize the real impact on patients. Animal trials have only been conducted and further tests will be needed to understand how this medicine can be a solution in cancer treatment.

Cancer. The five most common symptoms you should not ignore

Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity that helps to reduce the needs of British teens with cancer, has created a list of the most common symptoms of the disease to warn about the importance of screening.

In the UK, one person is diagnosed with cancer every 90 seconds, reports Mirror.

These are the five most common symptoms, which should not be ignored:

1- Nodules and swelling in any part of the body;
2- Constant fatigue without apparent reason;
3– Inexplicable weight changes (increase or decrease);
4- Persistent pain;
5- Changes in appearance in skin signs.