Heart drug may fight prostate cancer
Digitalis users less likely to develop the malignancy
By Nathan Seppa
ORLANDO, Fla. — A long-standing drug for heart failure might find new utility as a treatment for prostate cancer, a new study finds.
Digitalis, also called digoxin, is derived from the foxglove plant and has a lengthy medical history. Its role as a treatment for heart failure and heart arrhythmia has declined in recent years with the advent of newer drugs, but it remains an option for patients.
The drug’s potential new use arose after researchers screened more than 3,100 compounds, more than half of them existing drugs, looking for an effect on prostate cancer cells. Digitalis stood out by inhibiting proliferation of the cells in vitro.
Using a two-pronged strategy reported in the April Cancer Discovery, the researchers then tested this apparent biological effect by evaluating the medical histories of more than 47,000 men who had taken part in a medical study between 1986 and 2006.