In France, between 8,000 and 9,000 new cases esophageal cancer are detected each year, the vast majority of which (nearly 80%) in humans. In question ? The progression of obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Currently, only treatment by surgery allows a total cure of the disease. For the most advanced forms, chemotherapy alone can help slow the development of the disease and improve the patient’s quality of life.
But a British discovery could bring hope in the treatment of the disease. A new study published this Tuesday, June 21 in the journal Cell Reports Medicine asserts that erectile dysfunction treatmentsin particular Viagra, could also be effective in the treatment of metastatic cells of cancer of the esophagus, thanks to the mechanism of inhibition of a certain enzyme.
Limit the PDE5 enzyme to enhance the effect of chemotherapy
Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) is an enzyme located in the muscle cells lining the blood vessels that supply the penis in particular and which naturally slows down the mechanism of erection. What interested the researchers of the Cancer Research UK at the origin of the study, it is the mechanism allowing the inhibition of this enzyme.
Because this inhibitor would also make it possible to reinforce the effect of chemotherapy within the framework of the treatment of oesophageal adenocarcinomas. In some cases of cancer, resistance to chemotherapy develops, influenced by the “tumor micro-environment” composed of cells such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) and which participate in the protection and development of the tumor.
50% survival at 5 years currently
And elevated levels of the PDE5 enzyme were found in fibroblasts collected during the study. She would therefore be a effective target in the treatment of esophageal cancer cells. “Most patients present with advanced disease, and for those amenable to potentially curative treatments, 5-year survival is at best 50%.”, says the study. A survival that could be considerably improved if the impact of treatments for erection were to be confirmed.
“Developing new cancer drugs is hugely important, but doing it from scratch is a difficult process, and many fail along the way.concludes Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK. We wanted to find out if existing drugs, approved for other diseases, can be effective in treating cancer.”
Source :
- Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors enhance chemotherapy in preclinical models of esophageal adenocarcinoma by targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts, Cell Reports MedicineJune 21, 2022
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