Viagra raises hope for prostate cancer patients

New research shows that by combining the anti-impotence drug Viagra with Doxorubicin, a standard chemotherapy drug, the combination not only reduced the size of tumours but also protected the heart at the same time.

A team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and VCU Massey Cancer Center reported that the combination of the two drugs cut the size of tumors in lab mice while easing damage to the heart at the same time.

The researchers showed that by combining Viagra with doxorubcin, it increased the production of molecules called reactive oxygen species, that trigger death in prostate cancer cells. The combo did not damage the normal, healthy prostate cells.

Currently there are many cancers treated with doxorubicin, an antibiotic that kills off cells. The drug’s action is normally restricted by its dose, though, as it’s pretty toxic.

For more than four decades, doxorubicin has been used to treat a number of human cancers, including prostate cancer. However, its use is linked to with permanent heart damage, which often shows up many years after treatment ends.

The study was published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.