Posted on 02/19/2022 9:08:12 AM PST by ConservativeMind
A University of Wellington Ph.D. graduate has found a potential new source of help for colon cancer patients—medications used to treat hypertension, or high blood pressure.
Dr. Matthew Munro has spent the last four years investigating whether existing medications could be used to target colon cancer stem cells.
"Cancer stem cells can cause cancer development, spread, and recurrence," Dr. Munro says. “I have been studying existing medications to see if they could help mitigate cancer stem cells."
Dr. Munro's research focused on medications currently used to treat high blood pressure: beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin receptor blockers. Other research groups have previously reported lower incidence and improved survival of a range of cancers in patients who are already taking anti-hypertensive medications, but the possible reason for these observations remains under investigation.
Using cancer tissues donated by consenting patients, Dr. Munro was able to isolate cancer cells with the same function as stem cells. After studying these cells, Dr. Munro could see that the cells had elevated levels of certain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components, parts of a cell that are normally targeted by anti-hypertensive medications.
"Some of the anti-hypertensive medications, particularly beta-blockers, impaired the function of these cells and reduced the levels of stem cell markers," he says. "Different types of cells have different active genes, and we looked at genes ('markers') that identify stem cells. The genes were less active after treatment than before treatment, possibly indicating that the stem cells are specifically affected by the medications, although more research is still needed to confirm this."
If further research does confirm this, Dr. Munro's research could eventually lead to a new treatment approach for colon cancer that affects cancer stem cells through targeting the RAS, using off-patent, low-cost, and commonly available oral medications with very low side effects.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Is Lisinopril a beta blocker type Rx?
No, lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor.
Lisinopril is in a class of medications called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
Thank you both for info. I do believe eating yogurt daily and lots of veggies is a good way to minimize colon cancer. But my #1 priority in preventing any disease is daily exercise. I try to get in at least 5 days of mild exercise every week. Feel amazing at age almost 82.
Great...just when I’ve almost got myself completely weaned off of beta blocker Atenolol there’s this news.
My BP has been going down with exercise and weight loss, so I went from 100 mg Atenolol (max dose) to 50 to 25 and now down to 12 mg. I’ve got three other BP meds and cut one of them in half, too. The beta blockers were causing all sorts of problems after having been on them for years - anxiety and sleep problems in particular.
Getting off them is problematic, too. I tried going from 25 mg to zero and got bad palpitations and really heightened anxiety which I found are typical adverse side effects of quitting BBs.
It’s better to get off the meds by making yourself healthier. Lower weight reduces cancer and a ton of other issues.
However, for those with an endemic blood pressure issue and who are otherwise healthy, this could be a benefit.
How’s the lower joints?
A couple of teaspoons of beet powder in water twice a day will do wonders for high BP, and do it naturally.
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