Viagra's active ingredient sildenafil shown to curb cancer metastasis
Researchers at Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science reported that sildenafil, the drug component of Viagra, can block the transport of cholesterol into tumor cells, a process essential for metastasis. Laboratory tests on human breast, lung and colon cancer cells showed reduced movement and growth, with the strongest effect in triple‑negative breast cancer. In mouse experiments, sildenafil cut the spread of tumors to the lungs by more than half.
An analysis of about five million patient records from Israel’s Clalit health system, spanning two decades, found that cancer patients who had used sildenafil faced a 26 % lower risk of dying within five years compared with non‑users. The benefit was even greater for patients who had taken both sildenafil and statins at least six months before a cancer diagnosis, showing higher survival rates. The study, published in the journal Cancer Research, also examined melanoma, colorectal and prostate cancers. The researchers plan clinical trials, especially in women with triple‑negative breast cancer, to confirm these findings.
Entities: Ayelet Erez · Clalit Health Services · Dr. Ayelet Erez · National Cancer Institute · National Cancer Institute (USA) · Sildenafil · Sildenafil (Viagra) · Statins · Statins · Weizmann Institute of Science
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 5 SOURCES] Researchers plan clinical trials, especially in women with triple‑negative breast cancer. (All articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The active ingredient of Viagra is sildenafil. (All articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The research focused on triple‑negative breast cancer, melanoma, lung cancer, and also examined colorectal and prostate cancers. (All articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The findings were published in the journal Cancer Research. (All articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Combining sildenafil with statins enhances the anti‑metastatic effect. (All articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Sildenafil blocks the enzyme PDE5, reducing cholesterol transport into tumor cells and limiting metastasis. (All articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Patients who took sildenafil and statins at least six months before a cancer diagnosis had higher survival rates. (All articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The study used mouse models, human tumor‑cell cultures, and health‑record data from about five million Clalit members over 20 years. (All articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] In mouse models, sildenafil reduced lung metastasis by more than 50 %. (All articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The study was conducted by scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, in collaboration with the US National Cancer Institute and Israel's Clalit health system, and published in Cancer (All articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Sildenafil blocks cholesterol transport into tumor cells, reducing cancer metastasis. (All articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Analysis of about five million Clalit patient records over 20 years found cancer patients who used sildenafil had a 26 % lower five‑year mortality risk than non‑users. (All articles)