Cough medicine ingredient noscapine may help fight prostate cancer

Cough medicine ingredient noscapine could be used as a prophylactic treatment for prostate cancer, according to a new study.

The study shows that noscapine inhibited tumor growth in mice and also limited the spread of tumors without causing any side effects.

The collaborative pre-clinical laboratory research was conducted by Dr. Israel Barken, of the Prostate Cancer Research and Education Foundation (PCREF), Moshe Rogosnitzky, of the MedInsight Research Institute and Dr Jack Geller, of the University of California San Diego.

They concluded that noscapine administered as a preventive measure may offer significant benefits in the management of prostate cancer.

Their findings said, "Pre-treatment with noscapine confers a significant benefit compared with control in both primary tumor growth and primary tumor growth- inhibition rate and exhibits an extremely favorable tolerability profile."

The research team is now keen to take their work further by examining the effects of noscapine - a non-addictive derivative of opium - as a prophylactic agent given to patients following prostate cancer surgery or radiation.