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Could GLP-1 drugs help ward off a deadly disease? Cancer surgeon weighs in
Dr. Loren Rourke, a Texas-based board-certified breast cancer surgeon, author and speaker, confirmed research has suggested that glucagon-like peptide-1 medications — including Ozempic and Wegovy — may be associated with a lower risk of cancer recurrence and potentially new diagnoses
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ew research suggests it may have benefits for cancer patients
The prescription medication, which is manufactured and distributed byeasing blood flow during sexual stimulation
It was originally developed to treat high blood pressure and chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart before researchers discovered its unexpected effect on erectile function during clinical trials
PANCREATIC CANCER VACCINE SHOWS PROMISE IN FIRST HUMAN TRIAL, PREVENTING DISEASE IN HIGH-RISK PATIENTS
A new study published by the American Association for Cancer Research found that the pill may have properties that can prevent cancer from spreading
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, led by Dr. Yarden Ariav in the lab of professor Ayelet Erez, found that restrict cancer metastasis, or the formation of new tumors
ls from spreading, a new study suggests
The team, which included scientists at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, analyzed human and mouse cancer cells, genetic experiments and 20 years of health data from 5 million members of Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest nonprofit healthcare provider and health insurer. They also examined how genes, proteins, fats, cholesterol and cellular energy interact
The analysis revealed that sildenafil limits the cancer cell’s ability to make use of cholesterol, which is an important mechanism in how the cell breaks away from the primary tumor and migrates throughout the body, according to a press release from the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science
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Sildenafil was found to block an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 5, or PDE5, and increase the signaling molecule called cGMP, which dilates blood vessels – the feature that has made
According to the researchers, cGMP also binds to a protein that transports cholesterol within cells, reducing the cholesterol available for essential cellular functions. Cancer cells are “particularly vulnerable to this reduction in cholesterol supply,” they noted
d chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart before researchers discovered its unexpected effect on erectile function during clinical trials.(Alex Segre/UCG/Universal Images Group
Based on their findings, the researchers suggested that combiningld help slow the spread of cancer by reducing tumor cells’ access to both existing and newly produced cholesterol
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“We have uncovered a new biological pathway that links a well-known signaling molecule to cholesterol regulation within cells and shown how this pathway can be harnessed to interfere with the ability of cancer cells to form metastases,” Erez, senior researcher and dean of Weizmann’s Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth Medical School, commented in a statement
Combining drugs from theeducing cholesterol production in the body – may be even more effective in restricting the spread of cancer, the researchers suggested.(iStock)
“Beyond their therapeutic promise, our findings highlight that cancer biology is shaped not only by mutations in tumor cells, but also by the patient’s metabolic state and by medications they are already taking for other conditions.”
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The researcher added that this study “underscores the importance of treating the whole patient – not just the cancer – when tailoring the most effective therapy.”
The study’s use of mouse models could pose a limitation to the final implications, as cancer treatment may not always translate similarly to humans, the researchers acknowledged
The human evidence is also observational, which reveals an association instead of a proven cause and effect
Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors and the medication’s manufacturer for comment
