Stomach Botox for Gastric Cancer

Researchers slowed the growth of stomach cancers by using botulinum toxin to block nerve signals to cancer stem cells.

An international team of researchers has used anti-wrinkle Botox to slow the growth of stomach cancer in mice by blocking nerve signals to cancer stem cells. Although this study was conducted in mice, it opens the door to possible new treatments in humans.

Researchers from Columbia University, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and other institutions studied the role of nerves in the growth of stomach cancer in the study published Aug. 20 in Science Translational Medical.

"Scientists have long observed that human and mouse cancers contain many nerves in and around cancer cells," Timothy Wang, MD, professor of medicine at Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York, said in a news release. . "We wanted to learn more about the role of nerves in the initiation and growth of cancer, focusing on stomach cancer."

The Injection Stimulates Chemotherapy In Mice

The tumors grew more slowly when the researchers cut off signals from the vagus nerve to stomach cancer. One method they used to achieve this was to surgically sever the nerve, a procedure called a vagotomy.

The researchers were also able to break this link by injecting Botox, the trade name for botulinum toxin, commonly used as a cosmetic drug, into the area around the nerve. This blocked the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from the vagus nerve. The procedure was essentially a chemical vagotomy.

"We found that blocking nerve signals makes cancer cells more vulnerable - it suppresses one of the key factors that regulate their growth," Wang said.

Cutting the cancer from the nerve also improved the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Mice that received botulinum toxin injections or vagotomy along with traditional cancer treatment had better survival rates.

"For most patients, we suggest that denervation works best in combination with traditional chemotherapy," Wang said, "because the loss of nerve impulses appears to make cancer cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy, which also makes chemotherapy more effective.

According to the National Cancer Institute Trusted Source, stomach cancer will affect more than 22,000 people in 2014, and nearly 11,000 people will die from it.

Botox Could Provide An Additional Option

The study led to a clinical trial for stomach cancer patients in Norway, which will begin soon. Although scientists have not yet tested the technique in humans, the use of botulinum toxin could provide a safe and effective method of treating stomach cancer.

"Injecting Botox to create a chemical vagotomy for patients with gastric [stomach] cancer offers a minimally invasive option for patients who may not be candidates for surgical vagotomy," said Dr. James J. Lee, specialist. in gastroenterology at the St. Joseph of Orange. , California, in an email to Healthline. "Furthermore, the Botox injection is not permanent and the result is usually reversible within six months to a year, so there would be fewer concerns about the permanent and long-term effect of the vagotomy."

Technique Focused On Tumors In The Early Stages

One drawback of the study is that the researchers focused primarily on the early stages of stomach cancer.

"Given that gastric cancers are mostly diagnosed at an advanced stage," Lee said, "how would Botox or vagotomy affect tumor behavior outside the stomach or in the lymph nodes?"

Treatment is easier and survival rates are better when the cancer is localized and has not yet spread. Unfortunately, at the time of diagnosis, only 10-20% of all cases are at an early stage.

Once stomach cancer has spread to other parts of the body, the five-year survival rate for stomach cancer drops to less than 5%, compared to 50% in the earlier stages.

The researchers intend to address this problem in further studies, as well as develop other drugs that block neurotransmitter receptors.

"In the future," Wang said, "we would really like to see how we can use this method to target nerves to stop the growth of more advanced tumors."