The little blue pill that helps men rise to the occasion may do a lot more.
Research continues to reveal unexpected health benefits of Viagra that extend beyond the bedroom.
From reversing hearing loss to treating enlarged prostates and lowering the risk of heart disease, the erectile dysfunction drug may have another surprising use to add to the list — helping stop the spread of cancer.
Viagra use has steadily grown since its debut, with more than 23 million men having popped the pill as of 2005. Recreational use is also on the rise among men hoping to improve sexual performance.
But as cancer diagnoses increase at alarming rates — with cases expected to nearly double by 2050 — doctors are looking for new ways to fight the disease.
Now nearly three decades after Viagra first became available, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have found the drug may hinder cancer cells’ ability to spread.
The findings, published in Cancer Research, suggest sildenafil — Viagra’s active ingredient — interferes with metastasis by disrupting cancer cells’ cholesterol supply.
Led by Dr. Yarden Ariav and Professor Ayelet Erez, the team studied mouse cancer models, cancer cells cultured from human patients and two decades of medical records from 5 million patients in Israel’s Clalit Health Services.
They found that sildenafil reduces cancer cells’ ability to use cholesterol, a key building block of cell membranes.
Sildenafil works by blocking an enzyme known as phosphodiesterase type 5, which raises levels of cGMP, a signaling molecule that relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow.
The researchers discovered that cGMP also binds to a protein responsible for transporting cholesterol inside cells, leaving less of the fat available for cancer cells to use.
That matters because limiting cholesterol is essential for rapidly growing cancer cells, particularly after theydetach from a primary tumor and attempt to invade other organs.
Analysis of the medical records also found that sildenafil use was associated with better survival among cancer patients, especially when combined with statins — cholesterol-lowering medications that reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol.
Together, the medications may cut off restrict cancer cells’ access to existing cholesterol while also preventing the body from producing more, effectively starving tumors of a key resource.
“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,” Erez said in a press release.
Given the apparent benefit of pairing sildenafil with statins, Erez also noted the importance of treating “the whole patient – not just the cancer.”
While cancer cell growth is driven largely by genetic changes and the body’s internal signaling pathways, researchers say external factors — including diet — may also influence how tumors develop and spread.
One study found that a high-fat diet accelerated tumor growth and invasion in triple-negative breast cancer.
Meanwhile, growing consumption of ultra-processed foods has been linked to the rise in colorectal cancer diagnoses among adults under 50.
