Botox jabs could tackle prostate cancer. The toxin, best known for 'freezing' wrinkles, is being investigated for its effects on cancer and symptoms of an enlarged prostate.
Botox works by blocking the effect of nerves and researchers believe it could be used to target the nerves supplying tumours. Early research has shown that tumour cells shrivel when the prostate gland is injected with Botox.
In a clinical trial at Texas University, the treatment is being tested on men with localised cancer (where the disease has not spread beyond the prostate gland). Half the gland will be injected with Botox and the other with saline.
Botox cure: When injected, the toxin, best known for 'freezing' wrinkles, causes tumour cells in the prostate gland to shrivel
The 15 men on the trial are scheduled to have radical prostatectomy - surgery to remove the prostate - at a later date. After the surgery, the cancer cells will be compared to measure the effects of Botox.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Britain, with more than 40,000 cases diagnosed each year.
For many men, treatment is not immediately necessary and the cancer is monitored.
Treatments for localised disease include surgery to remove the prostate, radiotherapy and hormone therapy. However, these carry the risk of significant side-effects, including incontinence, erectile dysfunction or impotence.
Early results from three patients on the trial show the side of the tumour injected with Botox had shrivelled significantly; the other side had not.
The researchers say Botox could have similar effects on other types of solid cancers.
Botox jabs have also been shown to work for enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
This is an age-related condition where the prostate gradually enlarges and pushes against the urethra, the tube through which urine exits the body.
More than half of over-60s have an enlarged prostate, of which up to 50 per cent develop bladder control problems as a result.
Research at the University of Pittsburgh found that 75 per cent of men injected with Botox had some easing of their symptoms. 'Botox has been shown to be safe and effective. One injection, which takes five minutes, can prove effective for a year,' say the researchers.
The jab is thought to work by relaxing the nerves and muscle in the prostate, easing pressure on the urethra to make urinary flow easier.
'For the treatment of enlarged prostate, it will be interesting to see the results,' says Professor Raj Persad, consultant in urology-oncology at North Bristol NHS Trust. 'For the treatment of men with prostate cancer, it is not so straightforward. It is not known how Botox could exert an effect on cancer cells.
'It may deprive them of nerve elements crucial to their survival, but more research is needed to look at the effectiveness and to compare outcomes with the existing treatments.'
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Meanwhile, Botox jabs also work for pelvic pain in women, according to Harvard University.
A study involved 31 women with myofascial pelvic pain syndrome, a condition linked to tight, tender pelvic floor muscles.
Other symptoms include aching, heaviness or burning in the thighs, buttocks or lower abdomen, sometimes with symptoms of an overactive bladder or constipation.
The study found that 79.3 per cent of the women experienced an improvement in pain after a single injection. More than half of the women opted to have a repeat injection four months later.
The theory is that Botox reduces pressure in the pelvic floor muscle, which may be responsible for the pain.
'Injection of Botox shows effectiveness in women with myofascial pelvic pain with few adverse effects,' say the researchers.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2501316/The-Botox-injection-freeze-prostate-cancer.html#ixzz2kSPSjxSf
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