Can erectile dysfunction drugs ( Cialis, Viagra ) cure head and neck cancer?

Preliminary studies at John Hopkins suggest that an erectile dysfunction drugs (e.g. Cialis, Viagra) can stimulate the immune systems of patient’s with head and necks cancers so they can better battle cancer cells. This is interesting information because it is a new approach of treatment with agents so far not used to treat cancer.

Studies performed so far were test tube ones done in blood samples collected from patients. Although the results are promising, clinical studies are needed to evaluate if the administration of erectile dysfunction drugs can be helpful in treating head and neck cancers.

A new study demonstrate that Cialis (tadalafil) augments general and tumor-specific immunity in patients with head and necks cancers and has therapeutic potential in head and necks cancers. Evasion of immune surveillance and suppression of systemic and tumor-specific immunity is a significant feature of head and neck cancer development. This study demonstrates that a PDE5 inhibitor, tadalafil, can reverse tumor-specific immune suppression in patients with head and neck cancer, with potential for therapeutic application.

These results are very preliminary and more research is needed.  However, they offer hope for new type of treatment in the future.