Lidocaine May Have Potential Cancer Treatment Efficiency
By Dr. Lawrence Jones II
This article appeared in Newsweek, Pandora (November 23, 2023) reports that Lidocaine has a strong bitter taste because it activates a taste receptor called T2R14. The receptor is also shown to be present at high concentrations in various cancer cells, particularly those in the mouth and throat. So, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania hypothesized that lidocaine may interact with cancer cells through the receptor. "We were surprised to find that lidocaine targets the one receptor that happened to be most highly expressed across cancers, study lead Robert Lee, an assistant professor of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, remarked.
In previous research, their team found that activating the T2R14 receptors in cancer cells triggers a process that leads to controlled cell death. In its new study, published in the journal Cell Reports, the team found that exposing cancer cells to lidocaine can also activate the process, triggering a cascade of cellular signals that eventually lead to cell death. "While we're not suggesting the lidocaine could cure cancer, we're galvanized by the possibility that it could get an edge on head and neck cancer treatment and move the dial forward in terms of improving treatment options for patients with this challenging form of cancer," said Ryan Carey, an assistant professor an co-lead author of the study.
The drug poses a fascinating possibility as it can quickly be injected near or around accessible oral tumors. "Speaking as a head and neck surgeon, we use lidocaine all the time," Carey said. "We know lidocaine is safe, we're comfortable using it, and it's readily available, which means it could be incorporated into other aspects of head and neck cancer care fairly seamlessly." The most common head and neck cancer—squamous cell carcinomas—has a high mortality rate, with only 50 percent of patients surviving the past five years, even with treatment.
So, the results offer a glimmer of hope for patients suffering from the disease. The results may not be limited to head and neck cancers, however, and the team hopes that lidocaine may also be beneficial to patients with other forms of cancer. For example, in April 2023, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that breast cancer survival rates increased when patients received lidocaine before surgery. Indeed, lidocaine might not be the only drug capable of triggering cell death in cancers via this receptor.
"What's incredibly exciting is that a lot of existing drugs activate T2R14, so there could be additional opportunities to think about repurposing other drugs that could safely target this receptor," The team hopes that its proof of concept will pave the way for clinical trials into the addition of lidocaine to standard care therapy for head and neck cancer patients. The Narrative Matters!
References:
Pandora, D. (November 23, 2023). Scientists Find Anesthetic Kills Cancer Cells Via Unique Mechanisms. Scientists Find Anesthetic Kills Cancer Cells Via Unique Mechanisms (newsweek.com)
Understanding Cell Migration and Movement has Helped to Understand DNA Shedding from Various Cancers
By Dr. Lawrence Jones, II
The last article from Professor Li (2022) on how cancer cells move and metastasize is influenced by the fluids surrounding them gives insights into how fluids affect cell migration. The amount of water traveling in and out of a cell causes it to shrink or swell, inducing movement by translocating different parts of the cell. Better treatments for pancreatic cancer The researchers in the cell migration lab are studying how cancer cells interact with endothelial cells, which are the cells that create your blood vessels. One of the ways cancer cells can metastasize in the body is by going into the blood vessels.
Once inside, the cancer cells can go very far, very quickly throughout the body as they are Jacquemet (September 28, 2022) reports that one of the main reasons why cancer is so deadly is because cancer cells can escape the tumors where they originate from and move throughout the body. The objective is to track and understand the movements of the cells to prevent them from spreading. We want to know how the cancer cells can, once in the circulatory system, attach to the side of, cross the boundary into the blood vessel, and create a metastatic lesion.
Chi (2016) explains that bits of DNA constantly flood the bloodstream. Genetic material flows in the bloodstream of healthy people and could come from anywhere in the body. However, when there are tumors in the body, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells that shed from the primary tumor and migrate through fluids such as the blood system responsible for spreading cancer cells. Sensitive detection of CTCs from clinical samples can be an effective tool in cancer diagnosis and prognosis through liquid biopsy.
Jones (December 5, 2022) reported that “generally speaking, various forms of cancer are often detected way too late.” Today, we see liquid biopsy as part of the standard of care in tissue genotyping for patients with advanced cancer. Liquid biopsy screening tests can find types of cancer breast, colon, cervical, advanced prostate, and lung. A key component to fighting cancer is early cancer detection.
Blood-based liquid biopsy technology provides a quick and noninvasive way to analyze tumors using biomarkers circulating in the blood. Cell migration through surrounding bodily fluids offers a pathway for information by the latest medical tests now available. However, medical science still understands how cancers evolve and migrate through the body.
References:
Chi, K. R. (2016). The tumour trail left in blood. Nature, 532(7598), 269-271.
Deng, Z., Wu, S., Wang, Y., & Shi, D. (2022). Circulating tumor cell isolation for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. EBioMedicine, 83, 104237.
Jacquemet, G. (September 28, 2022). Understanding cell movement is a step towards cancer treatments | Åbo Akademi University (abo.fi)
Jones, L. (December 5, 2022). Cancer Screening: Detecting Cancer Early with Liquid Biopsy Technology. The Narrative Matters. St. Louis, MO Cancer screening: Detecting cancer early with liquid biopsy technology - The Narrative Matters