A study published in Cancer Research found that sildenafil, the drug sold as Viagra, made it harder for cancer cells to spread.
By Marvin Valdez
Cancer cells need cholesterol to break away from a tumour and travel. Sildenafil blocks an enzyme called PDE5a, which lets a molecule called cGMP build up. That cGMP jams the transporter that moves cholesterol out of storage inside the cell. The cholesterol gets stuck, the cell runs short of usable fuel, and it struggles to migrate. Healthy cells were left alone.
The lab work covered breast, lung, colon and prostate cancers, plus biopsies from breast cancer patients. In mice, the primary tumours did not shrink. The lung metastases dropped. That distinction matters, because metastasis causes roughly 90 per cent of cancer deaths.
The team also went through 20 years of health records covering 5 million people, tracking 40,567 male cancer patients. Men taking sildenafil showed improved five-year survival. Men taking it alongside statins did better again, with a dose-response pattern.
Corresponding author Professor Ayelet Erez, dean of the Weizmann Institute’s Gutwirth Medical School and a practising physician, put it plainly. “Our study underscores the importance of treating the whole patient, not just the cancer, when tailoring the most effective therapy.”
This is not a trial. The human half is retrospective record analysis, which shows association rather than cause. The authors say so, and note their data only captured prescriptions dispensed, missing anyone who bought sildenafil privately. Proper prospective trials come next.
One Warning Worth Repeating
Do not start taking Viagra because of a headline. Sildenafil should never be combined with nitrates, and that includes poppers. The combination can drop your blood pressure to dangerous levels. If you are on cancer treatment, or thinking about ED medication at all, that conversation belongs with your doctor.
Source: https://www.dnamagazine.com.au/viagra-sildenafil-cancer-metastasis-study/
