“The Treatment of prostate cancer with a very low dose of nitroglycerin can slow or even stop the progression of the disease without serious side effects of current treatments. At least that is confirmed by researchers from Queen’s University responsible for this new research, which I personally left me impressed.
The findings are the result of the first clinical trial using nitroglycerin to treat prostate cancer. The 24-month Phase II study has been directed to 29 men with high levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA, a key indicator of the progression of cancer) after prostate surgery or radiation. “We are very excited to see a significant slowdown in disease progression as evidenced by PSA levels, and to see this outcome in many of the men who participated in the study,” says Robert Siemens, the study leader Professor of Urology at Queen’s University at Kingston General Hospital urologist.
Researchers are encouraged by the results, especially because at present the safe and effective treatments for men with rising PSA levels after surgery or radiation are limited. They note further that the additional evidence is needed to confirm the results of this study are very small.
Of the 17 patients who completed the study, all but one showed a stabilization or decrease in the rate of cancer progression, as measured by PSA doubling time. Nitroglycerin has already been used significantly higher doses for over a century in the treatment of angina pectoris, has proven without a doubt his power to reduce nitric oxide, which plays an important role in the progression of a tumor.
Research on the use of nitroglycerin and similar compounds to treat cancer by Drs. Adams, Graham and Heaton has led to the issuance of 10 patents worldwide. PARTEQ Innovations, the technology transfer office of Queen, has licensed part of this intellectual property Nometics Inc., a spinoff company of the Queen, which is dedicated to developing products and therapies based on this and related research.
“This is the first clinical evidence that treatment with low doses of nitric oxide, offers prostate cancer patients a new non-invasive treatment option,” said Robert Bender, executive director of Nometics. “We intend to start more extensive clinical trials in 2010 to confirm and extend these results
Tags: Nitroglycerin, Prostate cancer, Tumor,