Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Columbia University and MIT, along with researchers from Japan and Germany have found a novel approach to treating cancer: OnabotulinumtoxinA, beter know as BOTOX? (Allergan, Inc).
A study presented in the August 20, 2014 edition of Science Translational Medicine shows that cancer growth could be suppressed by eliminating the signals sent by nerves that are linked to cancer stem cells. The approach thus treated the cancer. The use of onabotulinumtoxinA made the treatment cheap, safe and efficient. To date, the researchers have tested the novel procedure on mice. Clinical trials in humans are expected to start soon.
… these anti-cancer effects were remarkable, especially with local vagotomy or by injecting onabotulinumtoxinA… This finding was … very exciting …
Regulatory System
The nervous system is crucial in regulating many organs. The team of scientists have now shown that the vagal nerve contributes to the growth of gastric tumors, so that stopping the nerve signal to the tumor will stop its growth.
“This study shows that nerves control cancer stem cells,” noted Professor Duan Chen, MD, PhD, Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, who collaborated with Professor Timothy C. Wang, MD, Dorothy L. and Daniel H. Silberberg Professor of Medicine, Irving Cancer Research Center, Columbia University, New York, U.S.A., as the co-corresponding authors of the study published in Science Translational Medicine.
“We found that by removing the effect of the nerve, the stem cells in the cancer tumor are suppressed, leading to cancer treatment and prevention,” Chen explained.
This study showed that nerves promote tumor growth through the release of a neurotransmitter. To stop this growth and as part of their study, the researchers tried four methods to cut this connection between the nerves and the tumor: surgically by cutting the gastric vagus nerve (vagotomy), by local injection of onabotulinumtoxinA to block the release of neurotransmitter from the vagus nerve, by giving a drug to block the receptor of the neurotransmitter, and by knocking out of the receptor gene. All procedures suppressed the tumor growth.
“But we found that the anti-cancer effects were remarkable, especially with local vagotomy or by injecting Botox. It actually surprised us. The finding that Botox was highly effective was particularly exciting,” Chen said.
Medical indications
OnabotulinumtoxinA or Botox is well known to the public as a beauty treatment, but it is also used for different medical indications, including overactive bladder, cervical dystonia, also known as spasmodic torticollis, the treatment of strabismus and blepharospasm associated with dystonia, including benign essential blepharospasm or VII nerve disorders, treatment of upper limb spasticity in adult patients, the treatment of severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis that is inadequately managed with topical agents and as a prophylaxis of headaches in adult patients with chronic and episodic migraine.
“We believe this treatment is a good treatment because it can be used locally and it targets the cancer stem cells. The Botox can be injected through gastroscopy and it only requires the patient to stay in the hospital for a few hours,” Chen noted.
Less toxic
Chen further added that the procedure is also less toxic than most standard cancer treatments, less expensive and has hardly any side effects. “However, for most patients, we are suggesting that denervation works best in combination with traditional chemotherapy, since loss of nervous input appears to make cancer cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy, which makes the chemotherapy more efficient as well,” Timothy Wang explained.
Stomach cancer
The promising results from this study have led to an initiation of a phase II clinical trial for patients with stomach cancer in Norway. The treatment with onabotulinumtoxinAcan be an additional treatment for patients who have inoperable stomach cancer, or patients who have received chemotherapy but no longer respond to such therapy. It can also be considered in patients who, due to toxicity of chemotherapy, cannot be offered chemotherapy treatment or who, after meticulous information about chemotherapy, still do not want such treatment.
Chen and Wang both confirmed that the nerve-tumor growth connection is likely to be true in other solid tumors, such as in prostate cancer, but the precise nerves that are involved are likely to vary from organ to organ and tumor to tumor. Further studies are needed.
For more information
Zhao CM, Hayakawa Y, Kodama Y, Muthupalani S, Westphalen CB, Andersen GT, Flatberg A. Denervation suppresses gastric tumorigenesis. Sci Transl Med. 2014 Aug 20;6(250):250ra115. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3009569.[Article][PubMed]
Photo: Timothy Wang (left) from Columbia University and Duan Chen from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology are co-corresponding authors of the study published in Science Translational Medicine. Photo Courtesy: Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Copyright ? 2014 Sunvalley Communication. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Sunvalley Communication content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Sunvalley Communication. Sunvalley Communication shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Onco’Zine and Oncozine are registered trademarks and trademarks of Sunvalley Communication around the world.
