Viagra Can Slow Cancer by Blocking Tumor Cells: Study

Scientists have discovered a potential new application for sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, according to a study published in Cancer Research. The research, conducted across multiple mouse cancer models and human cancer-cell systems, suggests that sildenafil interferes with cancer cells' ability to spread throughout the body.

The drug, known as a PDE5 inhibitor, increases levels of cGMP, which disrupts a protein called NPC1 responsible for moving cholesterol out of lysosomes. This results in cholesterol accumulation inside lysosomes and reduces the amount available elsewhere in the cancer cell, disrupting cellular structures and energy processes involved in cell movement and metastasis.

The study also found that patients who had used sildenafil had better survival rates, with an added benefit observed among those who had taken statins to lower cholesterol. However, the findings do not establish Viagra as a cancer treatment, as the evidence came from experimental models and observational data. Further clinical research is needed to determine sildenafil's safety and effectiveness in preventing or treating cancer metastasis in human patients. The research was led by scientists from the US National Cancer Institute and other partners.