Botox aid against tumours

The cosmetic treatment Botox may assist in cancer therapy by aiding chemotherapy and radiation treatments, a new study reveals.

Researchers led by Professor Bernard Gallez from the Université de Louvain in Belgium injected Botulinum neurotoxin type A into two types of mouse tumours.

As a result, the tumours' cellular vasculature opened, allowing for more effective destruction of previously resistant cancer cells with regular treatments.

The study is the first to test the use of Botox against cancer and explores the possibility of its use as a treatment aid.

These findings mark a relatively new area of cancer research, which focuses on briefly opening blood vessels that feed tumour cells in order to better deliver therapeutic agents.

Until recently, much cancer research has focused on the opposite: reduction of blood vessel growth, which starves tumour cells of nutrients.

To increase the efficacy of anti-cancer treatments, the new study examined strategies that opened the tumour vascular bed to alleviate tumour hypoxia - insufficient levels of oxygen.

"Hypoxia is a source of resistance to radiotherapy, and is a determining factor in the poor prognosis of tumours to cytotoxic treatments," said Professor Gallez.

"Botulinum toxin could lead to inhibition of contractions of tumour vessels, improve tumour perfusion and oxygenation, and enhance the response of tumours to radio- and chemotherapy."

Since Botox is used in clinics without serious toxicity, the study indicates the possibility for human trials.

In addition, dosages used in the mouse study were within the range used with humans in clinical settings.

The study was published in the 15 February issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

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