Tadalafil has been widely used for treatment of impotence. Most of us know what tadalafil, commercially sold as Cialis, can do for the phallus, but what if this wonderful drug also helped us combat cancer?
Well, a team from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine just started a clinical research to find out if Cialis can be used as a treatment option for head and neck cancer. Like other erectile dysfunction drugs, Cialis boosts the effects of nitric oxide and facilitates the process of erection. But the effect of this drug is very different on the immune system. There are high chances that this drug might protect the body against cancer cells.
One of the most common features of cancer is that it can occur at any place including the mouth, throat, voice box and tonsils. It suppresses the body's ability to defend itself and makes the body weak. Tadalafil strengthens the body's immune system and gives it more time to deal with the cancer cells. It works in the opposite direction by freeing the immune cells from going after cancer. This drug, along with having the least side effects, is very safe for use.
More than 600,000 people every year are diagnosed with neck and head cancer. More than half of them will die from it within a span of five years. Clinical trials on Cialis, which will be wrapped up within two years will include around 40 women and men with neck and head cancer. If the results are positive, larger clinical trials will be carried out.
