Drug for cocaine addiction could help treat colorectal cancer, research shows [Video]

In a “surprising” discovery, a drug used to treat cocaine addiction could be a safe and effective form of treatment for advanced colorectal cancer, according to a new Canadian study.

University of Ottawa researchers tested vanoxerine in mice and tumour samples taken from human patients and found that the drug was able to effectively block the activity of colorectal cancer stem cells.

The findings of this research — seven years in the making — were published in the Nature Cancer journal on Tuesday.

“It seems like the drug is rewiring the genome of the cancer cells in a way that it makes them more obvious or easier to detect by the immune system, which is quite an impactful finding in terms of future treatment of colon cancer,” said Dr. Yannick Benoit, lead study author and associate professor in the department of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of Ottawa.

Cancer stem cells are the “nastiest or most aggressive cells” found …