A new study has found that sildenafil , the active ingredient in Viagra, may help slow the spread of cancer by limiting cancer cells’ access to cholesterol, a...
A new study has found that sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, may help slow the spread of cancer by limiting cancer cells’ access to cholesterol, a substance researchers say is essential for tumours to spread throughout the body. The findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, suggest the medication could one day play a role in cancer treatment, although researchers stress that more studies are needed before it can be used for that purpose.
The study was led by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel in collaboration with Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare organisation. Scientists from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, as well as physicians and researchers from Clalit’s Beilinson and Hasharon Hospitals, also participated in the research.
Researchers examined laboratory mouse models, human cancer cell cultures and more than 20 years of anonymised medical records from approximately 5 million people. Their analysis included an observational study of about 40,000 men who had been diagnosed with cancer.
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The researchers found that men who had been prescribed Viagra before being diagnosed with cancer had better overall survival rates than men who had not taken the medication. They also reported that survival rates appeared to be even higher among men who had used both sildenafil and cholesterol-lowering statin drugs before their cancer diagnosis.
According to the study, sildenafil appears to interfere with a previously unknown cholesterol-regulating pathway inside cancer cells. Researchers explained that cancer cells rely on cholesterol to detach from primary tumours and spread to other parts of the body through a process known as metastasis. By limiting access to cholesterol, sildenafil may make it more difficult for cancer cells to spread.
The research team also found that combining sildenafil with statins may further reduce cancer cells’ ability to obtain or produce cholesterol, potentially strengthening the anti-metastatic effect. However, the study did not conclude that the combination should be used as a treatment, noting that further clinical investigation is required.
Senior epidemiologist Dr Samah Hayek of the Clalit Research Institute said the study evaluated medication use before a cancer diagnosis rather than after diagnosis. “Our study did not examine whether giving Viagra to patients after they are diagnosed with cancer improves outcomes,” Hayek said. “It looked only at medication use before diagnosis and its association with survival. These findings are encouraging, but they do not mean cancer patients should start taking Viagra.”
Hayek also said the study did not determine whether sildenafil would be more effective against specific types of cancer because the research examined overall survival across a broad group of cancer patients rather than individual cancers. She added that the analysis mainly involved men because Viagra is predominantly prescribed to male patients, meaning the findings cannot be applied to women without further research.
Medical experts who were not involved in the research described the findings as encouraging but urged caution. Dr S. Adam Ramin, a urologic oncologist, said the study appeared to have practical potential but noted that more research is needed before sildenafil could become part of routine cancer care. Other specialists, including Dr Mike Lattanzi and Dr Ramkishen Narayanan, said the results were based largely on laboratory models and observational data and would need to be confirmed through human clinical trials.
The researchers emphasised that the findings should not be interpreted as evidence that Viagra prevents cancer or should be taken by cancer patients outside approved medical guidance. They said further clinical trials are needed to determine whether sildenafil can safely and effectively be incorporated into standard cancer treatment. Until then, experts continue to recommend proven cancer prevention strategies such as avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.
